Please Don't
by alwayssmile877
Summary: Love , like a river,will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle[Crystal Middlemas]. Cassie Sunnel is in love,with a vampire.As an effect her world comes crashing down, will her new love be able to carve it's own path to survive? DONE!
1. Prologue

**So, this is my first fan fic ever. Please be nice and review. I know that it is super short but it is just the prologue.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own twilight new moon or any of Stephenie Meyer's ideas.**

Every day since I had found out I should have listened. I didn't like listening that much, but those were the times when I should have. My life had changed completely since September. It was all because of _him_.

Without him my life wouldn't have a point at all, none whatsoever. If I didn't have him in this world with me I didn't want to be in it. If I were to leave this world, I would want it to be like this. This way at least he would be happy.

I stopped where I was, the crowded San Francisco union square. It was loud, people were everywhere; moving, talking. I didn't want to run anymore. I suddenly wished he were here with me. I didn't care what that entailed.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer for the ENTIRE story- I do NOT own Twilight, New Moon, or any of Stephenie Meyer's Fabulous ideas.

CHAPTER 1

I guess I had a normal life. In any sense of the word I could use to describe it I would choose boring. I lived in California, just north of San Francisco, in a town made up of upper class society who thought they deserved everything. I lived in Marin. But living in California wasn't as amazing as people said it was. I didn't see celebrities strolling down the street, I didn't live on the beach, I didn't surf, it was no different or more exciting than any other town in the world, and it was just boring. The few close friends I had were starting to become annoyed with me, I could tell. My very best friend in the world, Kirsten Farsby, her patience with me was dwindling. I didn't know the exact reason, but I had some pretty good guesses. My once exuberant, jubilant personality was fading as a sense of numbness was washing over me. These days I didn't feel emotions that strongly, I acted as if nothing was different merely putting on a show hoping to fool them, I guess it wasn't working. I could feel this change myself, Kirsten and I had been best friends since kindergarten, but ever since I had returned from camp this year, we hadn't exactly reconnected. The year before when I had arrived home from camp I hadn't had any inhibitions. I could walk down the street topless and just smile. I thought back to then and wished that I could once again feel that way, the joy and bliss of having fun with such close friends.

With a peal of anguish and pain from the realization of just how far I had drifted away from my friends, I released myself from the fetal like position I had been holding myself in. I flipped over on my stomach to look at the clock; it read 5:32 A.M... For another night sleep had evaded me. I rolled over on my back, staring at my ceiling, wishing my body would give in to the constant tired feeling and let me fall asleep. It didn't happen.

I decided to count to 3 then get out of bed. 1, 2, 3, I sprung out of bed scurrying out my bedroom door into the door next to it, the bathroom.

I flipped on the light. The immediate blinding was annoying but my eyes soon adjusted.

I stared at my sallow looking reflection in the mirror, my eyebrows that had been waxed a week ago, the few nearly nonexistent freckles that dusted my nose. I took a step back, examining my whole reflection. Most of my younger childhood I had been tiny, meaning short and thin. Short being around 5 inches shorter than my other friends. I remained short all through grade school but somewhere in there I began to grow not vertically but horizontally. Then in 4th grade I went to my first year of sleep away camp in London. At the end of the summer I had dropped the weight becoming slender, thinner than the other girls but closer to average than anorexic. I lifted my shirt to further examine my flat stomach, my skin stretched taut around my slightly protruding hip bones. Thankfully in puberty I had grown. I was now the average and respectable height of 5'4 ½". I stepped onto the scale; more out of habit than true yearn for knowledge. It read 111; I let out a humorless chuckle at how redundant the numbers were much like my dreary life.

I pulled the knob on the shower letting cold water rush out of the faucet, I pulled back the curtain the scrape of the rings against the curtain bar hurt my ears. I turned back to the mirror startled again by my pail nearly translucent skin, I would never get used to it. My skin only had color on two occasions, 1- during the winter when the cold nipped at my bare cheeks and 2- the far less pretty time when my face changed to the violent shade of scarlet any time I was embarrassed. Sometimes I wondered why I was so pale no one else in my family was pale they all tanned while I just burned and peeled. It wasn't pretty. I had decided that the only pretty part of my face were my eyes. My white iris contrasted nicely with the thin ring of dark navy blue of my eyes that immediately jumped to sky blue and darkened inwardly until they reached my coal black pupils. I was average other than that with my mostly straight brown hair that had natural strands of dirty blond and auburn.

I realized that the shower must be hot enough because of the condensation forming on the glass. I quickly slipped out of my clothes and into the shower. The water was so hot it felt like it was freezing on my skin, as my body slowly adjusted to temperature I picked up my shampoo. It was the same shampoo I had used since I was about five. The intense smell of artificial strawberries filled my senses as I poured it into the palm of my hand I went to close the cap but as my hand made contact with it; it jumped and hit me in the head. I didn't bother to pick the bottle back up. As I rinsed the suds left of shampoo out of my hair it was like all of my troubles were washing away with them, then I remembered that this was reality and realized that today would be a bad day.

The rest of the morning passed slowly. As I gathered my book bag placing at my front door, I walked to the bathroom trying to yank the knots out of my hair, it seemed useless. I blow dried it. Then I had nothing to do. Normally I would use this time to put on makeup, but other than translucent powder and waterproof back mascara I didn't wear that much makeup any more. I had in middle school but if anything it just made me look uglier. I used waterproof mascara because at any moment hot tears could well over in my eyes all the days stresses becoming too much.

Now I was just waiting. I was waiting for the call from my carpool to tell me to start walking to the corner of my street where they would pick me up. Ring Ring. That was it I scurried to the phone before it could wake my mother.

"Hello?" I said slightly breathless.

"Hey Cassie, we'll be there in a few minutes, 'kay?" It was Jenn her voice bubbling over in excitement like she had something to tell me. I nearly asked, but then thought better of it knowing it would keep me from getting to the corner in time. "You still there?" she asked I was brought back to attention.

"Yah, I'll see you soon" I said as I hung up the phone, grabbed my bag and stole out of the house.

The warmth that overtook me as soon as I had stepped out of the house alarmed me it was hot, especially for how early it was. I mentally patted myself on the back for wearing my denim micro mini skirt.

When I reached the corner I was slightly amused and surprised that I had made it there before they had. They nearly never lost to me. That was when the sandstone colored Nissan quest whipped around the corner coming so close to the curb that it caused me to jump back. The door slid open and I jumped in the strange but familiar car.

All of the seats in the back had been taken out leaving plenty of room for Jenn Ashley, Mike, and me, plus Lily and Nick who sat in the driver and passenger seat. All of them were juniors except for Ashley and myself, the babies of the carpool, the sophomores.

Jenn started gushing about a movie she had seen last night with her boyfriend Rob. With a few well placed giggles and "oh my gosh"'s I could get through the drive to school with no true mental inclination.

When we arrived at school the first bell hadn't rung yet which made me happy. It meant I could go to my locker get my supplies go upstairs and across the building to my first period without the embarrassment of falling on my face as I try to hurry.

I walked into the class trying, unsuccessfully to gracefully find my way to the desk through the swarm of students. The class passed in a blur. Next was second period. Gym.

I hated second period, luckily today all we had to do was sit and listen as we were told about how were starting swimming, I couldn't hurt myself in the water, aside from drowning. P.E. was probably my worst class, it wasn't that I didn't try I just fell down a lot or hit people with what ever I was trying to throw.

As the bell rang and I walked to the locker room with one of my good friends Sara Stoble. We changed in silence I liked her because of that she didn't find my silence annoying. What I didn't like was she was probably the most perceptive of my friends.

"Hey are you all right?" she asked me for the 400th time.

"Yea, you should know that me and P.E. don't mix very well" as if this would cover my constant fakeness. The truth was I didn't feel that upset or bad today but apparently I looked enough for Sara to see it. We both stood listening intently for scraps of gossip.

"I didn't know that we were going to have any new kids here" I had been listening to a similar conversation as she had apparently. "Wow sounds like there are 4 of them" that jump started my mind, wow 4 was a lot.

"Hmm, well I guess that there will be new guys" after all it couldn't be all girls.

"Probably" we were walking out of the locker room now. It was brunch. I was struck

Again by how warm it was outside. Even though I lived in California it was rarely this warm. The sun wasn't even my favorite weather. My favorite was storms of thunder and lightening or when it was just plain dark outside. What I didn't like about that weather was the cold. It pierced my thin skin like a needle through a piece of news paper.

I approached the small cart and bought a cookie I did this about every day. I most likely had too much sugar in my diet.

As I approached the little circle of my friends. I realized that they seemed moderately intrigued by something. They were talking about Halloween costumes. That was slightly odd because it was only September 3rd, so I didn't listen that intently. Kirsten spoke then.

"What are you going to be Cassie?"

"I don't know" I said thoroughly dumbfounded, out of curiosity I asked

"What are you going to be?" truthfully I knew she only asked me so she could talk about her costume.

"Well" she said taking a deep breath; she began to babble about how she was going to be a nurse. I knew I didn't really need to listen because by tomorrow she would have already changed her mind.

Everyone began moving then. I guess the bell had rung. I slowly made my way to drama. As I entered the door I saw that we had a sub today, great. I sat in my regular seat next to my friend Mimi. The sub began role call.

"Cassandra Sunnel" she called

"I go by Cassie" I said annoyed I didn't like it when people used my full name.

"K.C.?" She asked

"No, Cassie" I repeated

"Hmm" she said as her eyes rolled down the list to the next person. Since we had a sub we just watched a documentary on Shakespeare.

4th period was boring I just had to go to my friend Allie's house to work on a project with her, Bill, and jack. I didn't not like jack, we had dated in 8th grade but ever since we broke up he had been so rude to me and I wouldn't even do anything to provoke him. The rest of the day flew by.

After school I carpooled to Allie's house. We worked on the project fine getting it finished.

It wasn't until we were waiting for our parents; I was getting a ride home with Bill's parents. Hats when Jack brought something up about when we had dated.

"What, you guys dated?" Bill said. I could feel the heat of blush starting to creep up my face. I felt like slapping him. That's when Jack started shooting accusations at me.

"What, why would I ever say something like that?" I yelled I could feel all of my senses being overwhelmed. "I need to use the rest room" I blurted out as I rushed out of the room so the couldn't see the tears that felt like ice against my flustered face.

I wandered because I didn't really know where it was. Once safely enclosed in the bathroom I looked in the mirror. My face was covered with hectic red marks tears

Streaming down my face. I tried to breathe deeply and calm myself.

"Mike, Cassie your ride is here" Allie's father called.

"I'm on my way "I replied loud enough so barely I could hear it. I trudged back into Allie's room while quietly scolding me for asking for a ride, I should have walked it wasn't that far now I would have to spend the few excruciating minutes with mike and probably his mother.

As I walked into allies room hoping to retrieve my bag with out any conversation a voice pierced my calmed aura.

"What were you crying again?" Jack sneered. I shot him a glare with as much venom and malice that I could infuse into it.

The ride home with mike and his mother was short and quiet. A few times his mother tried to start conversation, but I quickly deflected her attempts. As I left the car thanking them for the ride I could almost here the question burning his mother's throat "what was her problem".

When I entered the house its emptiness pressed on me as if I was underwater.

"Hello? Mom?" I called, so I wouldn't embarrass myself if she was there and I hadn't acknowledged it.

I walked down the hall into the office (it was more just a computer room but that was what my mom called it). I turned; next to the computer was the phone. My hand itched to dial someone, anyone's number. I was still so upset about what had happened with Jack that I had to vent to someone. But, who was I going to call? Kirsten was at cheer practice. Sara was at the gym. I wouldn't be able to sympathize with Lana. I couldn't call any of my guy friends that would just be weird. Then I rethought about my last idea. I could, I could call one of my guy friends, and I could call Rory. Rory didn't go to my school he went to some charter school for expressive youth. Pretty much for the kinds of people who were popular and smart, the kind who would probably make it big in life. But, he had been there when Jack and I had started going out, in fact they had been good friends until jack had transferred schools. The problem was he rarely answered his phone anymore. I hadn't seen him in about 5 months. We had been nearly best friends the year before, but when we both got back from vacation and I started calling again I rarely got to talk to the real him instead of his voice mail. The phone rang once, twice, three times I was about to hang up when I heard a voice on the other line.

"Hey," I was truly surprised a) that he had picked up b) that I wasn't sure it was him it didn't sound right.

"Hello?"

"Yes?" I answered like I had picked up the phone rather than called.

"Are you alright you sound," he paused searching "upset" he finished. I was stalled in my response by marveling at how alluring his voice was thick, deep, and silken. His voice was so wonderful as if, if I fell from a building just the cashmere softness and caring of his voice could save me.

"Cassandra" he spoke again.

"Uh..." I blushed at myself, happy no one could see me for being distracted so easily, but also because he had used my full name. I took a deep breath then began fuming about my afternoon. He consoled me and told me that I was right.

I was growing used to his voice so fast. I loved the way it sounded like he was caressing every word. I didn't know how I could have missed it before. Based on my memory this isn't what it sounded like before. This slightly confused me because he had already gone through puberty. As I continued with my rant I heard a dulcet chuckle in the background.

It sounded female. This didn't surprise me; Rory went out with a lot of girls. Then the guilt hit me, I had been taking time away from him and (if I was assuming correct) his date.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize you were with people"

"It's all right it's no one of supreme importance." He spoke jokingly, but it

Sounded as if someone had hit him, rather hard, after saying that.

"No really, I feel horrible for stealing you from them" The truth was that I didn't want to say goodbye to his heavenly voice, but I knew it was proper etiquette.

"It's quite all right" not only had his voice changed but the way he spoke, it flowed better, was more polite and…charming? "I'm transferring school's" his voice was thick with implications as though he was begging for me to ask "why" or "where to?" I decided to take the bait.

"Wh-"I cut myself off as I heard my mother pulling into the garage. "Gotta go hope you enjoy your new school" I hung up and raced to my room so my mother wouldn't know that aside from English I hadn't even started my homework. I sat doodling in a notebook waiting for my mother to come in.

"Hey" I called to my mother as I heard the back door to the garage open.

"Hey honey, how was school?"

"Fine" I lied easily

"Learn anything new at school?"

"Not really" I knew she didn't ask these questions looking for real answers.

We went through this every day the same questions same answers. To follow routine I asked "how was work?"

"You know I love when you care enough to ask." she never really answered my question. It wasn't as if I wanted or expected her to anyway.

It was like we had a silent truce. Ask each other questions every day, try to act like a normal working family (I wasn't really sure if we counted as a family just the two of us, and we definitely weren't normal).

I felt that if I ever gave a real answer to one of her questions she'd either drop dead from a heart attack or have me committed. The truth was she'd probably just feel uncomfortable and have me see a therapist so she didn't have to discuss my feelings with me. She'd always been one to keep her emotions hidden while I on the other hand couldn't even try they showed too easily on my face, which usually meant no need to talk about them. The clock next to my bed read 9:03 P.M… I didn't understand where the time had gone.

The next morning n the car the conversation had been taken over by rumors about the new kids. There were two boys and two girls. Two of them were sophomores like me while two of them were juniors.

When we arrived at school all the chatter revolved around them. It was pathetic how everyone could become so worked over by something so simple. For some reason though I couldn't stop thinking about it myself, until I heard the bell ring.

I pushed weakly through the moving crowd I was being slowly pushed in the opposite direction as though caught in a current of people. Finally I made it through the infinite stream of people. My locker wouldn't open. Once it did I quickly retrieved my chemistry book and slammed it shut. The halls were nearly empty, only stragglers like me were left and some seniors with no first periods. I was jogging across the building right on one hall left on another, then up the stairs. I scampered up the stairs to make it to class on time, keeping myself moving even though my body felt like it was about to implode. I had never realized how many stairs there were I had probably climbed 30 already, I was taking the stairs 2 at a time 32,34,36,38. That's when it happened; I had either been too busy counting the steps or just misjudged how high I need to lift my foot for the next step. My foot hit the middle of the stair with such force I stumbled backwards, slipped on the step behind me, and went flying.

I expected to land on the cold, jagged edges of the stairs but instead I felt something, or rather someone catch me. It was hard, I wouldn't have been surprised if I had hit the wall, but walls weren't horizontal nor could they catch people. I surmised as much as it was a person who had caught me. They hadn't even wobbled when I had slammed into them full force, and even more surprising, they had caught me, not just their hand on my back to steady me but was holding me. I could feel the snare of someone's arms around my back and in the crook of my legs; their arms were freezing almost like they were metal that had been left outside on an unusually cold night. They held me like a small child in another or father's arms.

I looked up to see the people who had moments earlier been hurrying to class all standing still, they had stopped to look strangely at the us, it was quiet except for their whispers

My whole body felt like it was on fire, I knew I had never blushed this deeply. While I turned to see my savior the crowd slowly started to depart. Be fore I had turned my head around completely I heard the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. Soft as cashmere yet thick and smooth as honey

"Figures you'd be the one to fall" That was when my breath whooshed out of me as if my body really had imploded.

It was Rory, but it wasn't. His face had the same features yet they were slightly altered, refined, and more perfect. There was something about his eyes that were different, beautiful, but different. But somehow I knew it was him. He looked painfully handsome, but his eyes still struck me the most. They were absolutely gorgeous, breathtaking, they were green, but not normal human green. They were almost stoplight green. "What, do I really leave you speechless?"

"Ha-ha, very funny" I had found my voice again, but what I had really wanted to do was reply "yes". An unstoppable grin spread across my face. It wasn't one of my smiles that I had been perfecting to look almost real, it was real, and I realized that there was probably no comparison to my fake one because it was fake. I flung my arms around his neck I was so happy to see him. He went rigid; I quickly released him guessing I had cut off his air supply. "You can put me down now, I promise I won't fall again, plus I know it must be a strain on your arms." He immediately put me down.

His once dyed black hair had returned to its normal color of dirty blond. It fell slightly over his eyes and covered most of his ears. It looked like he was a model for really expensive good haircuts. I hadn't even thought to include him in the thought that he might be one of the new kids, when he said he was transferring I would have guessed any school other than this one.

The second bell rang. He used that to distance us about 3 stairs.

"I've got to go" he said apologetically.

"I'll see you later" all he did was flash me a gorgeous smile. I gave him my

Far inferior smile, and was on my way, careful to not fall down the steps.

When I entered the class it had already started

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Cassie, you are indubitably more important than all of your fellow students and their learning" Ms. Cooper scolded.

"I'm sorry Ms. Cooper, it wont happen again" I stammered, heart still trying to find its normal pattern after what had just happened.

The rest of my class I kept my head down and worked studiously, not wanting to give her reason to scold me more in front of the class.

For second period P.E. Sara and I treaded water amidst our fellow class mates. Though my heart still unexplainably felt like an over-inflated balloon, I was struggling to keep my head under water. I was trying to sort my thoughts on why I was so overexcited about Rory being at my school, when an annoyingly nasal voice pieced my somewhat tranquil bubble of thought.

"So Cassie," Lexi paused as though she was choosing her words carefully. I hadn't even noticed her wade over. "I heard that you and one of the new boys shared a 'thing' this morning". My skin boiled and I was happy that I was in the cool water.

"Not really, I just knew him before and didn't expect him to be here. It was nothing" I replied as non-chalantly as I could manage while trying not to drown.

"Hmm" she murmured as though she was storing it away in her head somewhere so she could pull it out and use it at any moment, like a flashcard. Maybe she could tell that I wasn't that eager to elaborate because she drifted away back to her fiends, and no doubt to inform the rest of the school. I turned back; Sara was staring at me wide eyed.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" she whined.

"It wasn't exactly a pressing matter" I retorted.

"In high school it is" she spit back.

I raised my eyebrow to gauge her reaction, to see if she really wanted to know the story, she did.

"Well, since you'll probably find out what happened this morning soon enough, I'll skip that and start with the background info." I took a deep breath trying to sort my thoughts to explain them to Sara, but I was interrupted by her eager question.

"Wait, I heard that all of them were like totally gorgeous, best looking kids in the school, hands down. Is that true?"

"Well, I don't even know the names of the other kids, and I definitely haven't seen them, the one I was with Rory he looked," I tried to think of a word hot? Breathtaking? STOP! I commanded myself, don't think things like that, its just wrong. "Different" that fit well "than I remembered him" I said finishing my sentence while struggling to find an answer to her question. Well, I thought, I guess I should just say it, if I'm thinking it, it must be the truth. "Yes, he is definitely gorgeous." For the next 40 minutes Sara and I gushed over him and what the others might look like.

When they finally sent us in my mouth felt numb, I hadn't talked that much in at least a month and a half. I didn't really understand how I could have managed that.

As we walked out to the already crowded pavilion for break it was like in the movies where the girl walks by and every one goes silent and stares. But this wasn't the movies so they all talked loud as normal except when Sara and I passed when they quieted just enough so I could tell they were talking about me.

"I guess this is what sucks about having a high school with only 700 people in it." I sighed and wished that Rory almost would have let me fall.

He never left my mind all through break a) because he was the only thing my brain wanted to think about b) because I was being constantly bombarded with questions from both friends and random people. I mostly pushed away the questions from my friends telling them I would answer after school, while just blushing and saying that I really didn't want to talk about it to all of the random people who came up.

Everyone except Kirsten seemed to be about to burst with questions. I knew why.

It definitely wasn't that she enjoyed the isolation from talking. It was that she and Rory had gone out for a year and three months from 8th grade to 9th grade. They had had a very intense relationship (emotionally) but in the end he had broken up with her telling her that he didn't love her the same as he thought he had and that there was no use dragging it out any longer. I had been able to stay friends with him and Kirsten, she had known that we were still friends (Rory and I); I had talked to her about it. I didn't truly understand why I was getting such icy glares from her and I felt a pang of hurt at the pit of my stomach.

The bell rang. I quickly sped away from the many pairs of prying eyes and the single pair shooting venom at me, to my third period drama class. When I opened the door I expected to be the first one there, caused by my hasty escape. But what my eyes say surprised me, Rory was sitting there stationary beside my usual desk. I felt my heart literally lift, the cold caused by Kirsten's glare immediately melt away. I could hear my pulse in my ears quicken. As I made my way to the desks stopping before fully reaching him, to talk.

"So quite the commotion we caused this morning in this small minded school of yours." He announced with perfectly smooth flowing articulation that I envied.

"Maybe if you hadn't picked me up" I added as annoyed as I could.

"Sorry," he replied holding is hands palm up towards me to convey he was innocent "it was just a reflex."

"A reflex?" I asked skeptism obvious in my voice "to what, break your arms?"

"I was a black belt at age ten you should know I'm pretty strong"

"Oh, so you were like 'huh, she fell I'll pick her up to see how deeply she blushes'"

"No, it was more like 'oh, she fell, knowing her she won't be able to stand by herself'" he said playfully.

I glowered at him "well…well I slammed into you at full force you should have felt strain on your arms" I said retreating to my first plan.

He rose so quickly and gracefully I nearly missed it. He was standing in front of me.

"Cassie, you'd have to weigh at least four times your weight to put any strain on my arms" he said grinning. All I could think was how men could have such huge egos and be such stupid liars. They should know to at least lie about something believable. I was bout to burst out laughing when he leaned over and scooped me into his arms.

"Put me down!" I yelled

"Why?" he argued.

"Because it makes me feel… uncomfortable" I half lied, I couldn't help thinking about Kirsten's glare "plus, we don't exactly need anymore publicity stunts for today." He put me down and went back to his seat. People were starting to come in now. Once I had ascertained that he was seated and wasn't getting up, I walked to my chair. I had place my foot on the opposite side of the leg of the desk and when I made a move to go forward I nearly fell but righted myself so all I did was stumble. Out of the corner of my eye I had seen Rory about to move to catch me if I had fallen. I sat in my seat and gave him a look. Once everyone in class taken their seat I was glad to notice that we didn't have a sub, kind of.

I turned next to me Mimi was sitting there, giving me a meaningful look before she turned to talk to Nate. If I had been better at understanding her in general, maybe I would have been able to understand he looks. Moments later Mrs. Pembry called the class to attention.

"Today we will be starting a new unit, I am also sorry that I was absent yesterday" she quickly tacked onto the end. "This unit will be all about, almost, overdoing your emotions, so that they really reach your audience" she paused catching her breath, I saw a few people turn to glance back at Rory. "Split up into pairs and I will come around and give you one of four scripts." I had always loved drama but ever since I hadn't been cast in the school play I had felt kind of stupid in her class. I turned to Mimi she was my usual partner in this class; I was disappointed to see she had already paired with Nate. Maybe she had finally realized that she was better than me and deserved another partner. I looked away to search for another partner. My eyes saw the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen in my life and they were sitting right next to me. I felt sheepish almost like I should be scolded. Rory looked me over quickly then looked at me again quizzically.

"Well, aren't you going to ask me to be your partner?" he questioned. Annoyance flashed through me.

"Maybe if you don't act so arrogant" then I spoke lighter "so, why didn't you tell me that you were transferring here?"

"Wait I thought that you were about to ask me to be your partner?" I looked at him did he really want me to do that? Was he going to make me do that? It wasn't like there was any one else in the room that I even could be partners with.

"Fine," I took a deep breath; his face looked amused "will you, Rory Montego, be my partner?"

Instead of answering he just stared at me, a few expressions crossed his face. I could pick out worry, anger, and confusion before he formed a carefully calm mask.

"Where in the world did you come up with that last name?" he asked slightly bemused.

"Come up with?"

"That is certainly not my last name" he spoke with such authority my confidence wavered slightly.

"Is that so? Then what is it, enlighten me." I said annoyance obvious in my voice.

"Haven" he said blankly.

"And where did you come up with that?" I had looked away, annoyed, but he had stopped talking. His head was turned the other direction, I could tell by the side of his cheek that he was smiling.

"Get your things together" he said, even though he was smiling (could tell for sure because he had turned to face me), it wasn't a request but a demand. I didn't argue. I could see an office messenger leaving the class room and Mrs. Pembry walking with purpose towards our desks.

"Get your things together, both of you, and go to the principal's office. I stared at her in shock." Now please" she said before walking to the other end of the room to hand out scripts.

I got out of my desk my legs felt like jelly. I hobbled, bag in arm, out the classroom door, next to the graceful godly creature next to me that I thought I had known.

He looked down at me from his 5'11" well built frame. I guess he could see the panic on my face. He let out a chuckle when he met my gaze.

"You really are nervous aren't you?" he asked obviously amused.

"Of course I am, I've never been to the principal's office in my life!" I said slightly breathless, it took such an effort to keep my lungs working and my feet moving at the same time, in the state I was in.

"I doubt you are in any trouble, since he called me in and it is my first day"

"She" she I corrected. He looked confused. "The principal's a she" I clarified.

"Oh!" then he feigned panic and in a frustratingly convincing voice said "uh oh, that makes all the difference then we probably should panic" I glared at him, his choice in playful words tipped me off to his joke.

By the end of our conversation we were standing in front of the office. We entered. The secretary raised her brows questioningly. Then understanding as to why we were there sunk in and she smirked

"The principal's office is down the hall to the left, she's not there at the moment, but should be soon. You two can sit and wait for her there."

"Okay thank you very much for your help" Rory said. Her face instantly relaxed and became more pleasant.

"Thanks" I muttered meekly.

We walked down the hall, there were a few doors all of them were closed. I could feel my heart rate start to climb. I could hear it in my ears. I could feel the closing up in my throat. It was almost like an allergic reaction to fear of being in trouble.

I sat in a chair at the end of the hall. I was staring at my knees, the fading that was interrupted by the slightly threaded hole that gave stores some reason to raise the price on them.

"I _promise _that you are not going to _end up _in any trouble" the cashmere voice said in my ear. I looked up. He was crouched on front of me, about six inches from my face. He had a tight smile on his lips. His eyes looked longing, but not in the way a normal guy longs for someone. His arm rested , or was rather clenched on my arm rest. He looked like he was restraining himself from something. I felt a chill go down my spine.

"Ahem" a shrill feminine voice broke our gaze. "If you could please join me in my office." It was Ms. Degie, the principal. She was in her early thirties, with vivid red curls.

"Yes Ms. Degie." I answered obediently as she walked into the office and motioned for us to follow. I stumbled in then stood stiffly. I heard a quiet but hearty chuckle escape Rory's lips. I glared at him darkly.

"You'll get it soon" he whispered while Ms. Degie had her back turned.

"Ms. Sunnel, Mr. Haven" she addressed us. "Please sit" we did. She looked at us both meaningfully. "I would have thought that you two would have known better" then she turned on me " I would have expected that you knew the school code." She turned to Rory, her expression became kind like he could never do anything wrong. "Well, it is your first day but I would have thought that you had the same rules at your school."

"Um, I 'm sorry but what exactly did we do?" she stared at me disbelievingly.

"We aren't exactly aware of what we did wrong" Rory helped.

She looked at us for a long moment as if waiting for the punch line of a joke.

"Fine I'll be blunt with you. Apparently you two were caught doing things far beyond kissing in the halls, things that you could have been arrested for doing at a public place. Now you Ms. Sunnel know exactly the rules and I'm afraid that I am going to have to suspend you for the rest of the day. Mr. Haven, I don't know what I am to do with you, it may be your first day here but you should know not to do that, I don't understand what kind of school you came from that thought _that_ was acceptable." Her whole rant my mouth was wide open, but I had finally found my voice, my face beet red.

"I don't know what you heard exactly or where you heard it, but we didn't do anything. I was running up the stairs to class and I slipped and he caught me." I took a deep breath " we were friends before he came to this school and I was surprised to see him here. Anyways we're friends, which would just be weird." I wasn't quite sure about that last part. I looked down at the floor. This was so upsetting and annoying. Realization set in, this is probably what the whole school thinks happened.

I felt the tears welling in my eyes. I breathed slowly.

"Do you mind if Cassie sits outside, I think she needs to get a hold on her emotions." I looked up and as if on queue the tears glided down my cheeks. His voice had sounded so smooth and persuasive.

"Of course, do try and calm down honey" she said in a rather maternal voice. I just nodded walked out and sat in a chair.

I had regained my calm by the time he walked out but when he did my face instantaneously blushed. I could see his muscles tighten under his clothing, but he smiled.

"She understands, and neither of us is in trouble." An unstoppable grin spread across my face.

"We don't need to go to 4th period" he assured me as we made our way back across the campus. I looked at the clock tower. That was good, it meant that we had an hour until lunch to just talk.

We walked into the cafeteria, passing the closed lunch line. I went to sit at my usual table, he followed. I sat cross legged on the table seat facing him on the other side.

"So that was… interesting" I was staring at him, he looked deep in thought. He blinked.

"Well… What!" I demanded annoyed by the bemused look on his face.

"Nothing of importance" he replied simply.

"Um" my throat felt dry. Suddenly my earlier annoyance flashed through me like lightning. "How could your last name just change?" his eyes went somber, his expression sullen. I worried that I had somehow hurt his feelings.

"Well, when I was in Europe a while back with my parents, they decided that it would be best for both them and me if I had a different family. So when it came time to leave they stayed, they gave me my plane ticket, and then" he stopped. I looked at him encouragingly "and then gave me away" he finished.

My heart nearly fell out of my chest. I couldn't breathe. I felt sick with myself for making him bring this up.

"I'm so sorry" I said. Sorry didn't even begin to explain how bad I felt.

"It's okay, I love my new family, more than I could ever love _them_" he sneered. I still regretted bringing it up no matter what he said. He glanced up at the clock on the wall, his hair falling slightly across his eyes.

"It's almost lunch time" he said. He had returned to his happy state.

"I have to go to my locker" I had been looking at the linoleum tiles on the floor. I looked at his face when I lifted my head. His breathtaking eyes caught and held mine. I don't think I would have been able to look away even if I had wanted to. I certainly didn't want to though. His eyes were truly shocking. They were glowing, and not just figuratively. Finally his eyes released me. I got up and stumbled to the door before calling.

"I'll talk to you later okay?" before I could move the bell rang and I lost him in the crowd of incoming students.

As I walked down the now empty hallway, I was enthralled in thought. His eyes definitely didn't look like that before.

I used my locker combo and it opened easily. I grabbed my U.S. government binder and my Spanish notebook. Then I stared at myself in my locker mirror. To tell the truth I was looking for some type of physical change in myself since this morning. I was surprised when there wasn't. how could such a good-looking person like Rory want to still be friends with me even though I'm so average looking. I slammed my locker door shut thoroughly annoyed. Maybe he was just being nice to me, because I was so average looking, maybe he felt bad for me.

The lunch room was crowded by the time I got there not that that was very unusual. I wanted to find Rory, to invite him and his family to eat with us. But, I knew that that wouldn't be fun with Kirsten there. "Hey guys" I said plopping down at my usual table. I was met with about 12 eager pairs of eyes, and 1 glares that if looks could kill, I'd have years taken off my life.

"So, you and Rory hooked up in the hallway." Lena stated. I t wasn't a question, maybe she'd meant for it to come out as one but it certainly didn't. There was a slight edge to her voice that I didn't quite get.

"No" I stated calmly. Everyone at our table looked aghast.

"Well, that's what everyone thinks." Lena reprimanded.

"Well, then what everyone thinks is wrong." I said mocking her choice of words.

"Why are you lying to us?" Kirsten asked hurt. It was my turn to be aghast.

"I'm not" I said. My voice was just a whisper, why were they so sure of rumors that definitely weren't true.

Kirsten's voice no longer sounded hurt. It sounded sharp, sharp as a razor blade, with the intention to hurt others.

"I saw you two, yah you fell. But he caught you and held you. You two stared into each others eyes, then you just threw your arms around his neck and you…you… you kissed him!" she was shouting. All of the attention in the room was on our table, with a few furtive glances at Rory and his family.

Lena interjected by getting out of her seat, grabbing my elbow, and yanking me up so I was standing. I had never been that close with her. She did cheerleading with Kirsten, so I new that Lena was Kirsten's best friend aside from me, though after this she might just be her best friend period.

Lena stood in front of me not even a foot away. "How could you do that" she spat her voice full of malice, "to your best friend, were you even thinking about her feelings? Knowing you, you probably were, you probably did it just to hurt her." My hand was itching to hit her; I was digging my nails into my palm to stop myself. I knew that I had like super adrenaline, and if I really needed to be either fast or strong I could, but I hadn't hit someone since I was seven and I didn't really intend to now, but she was making herself very liable to be hit.

"You are disgusting" Lena continued "you are such a bitch, you need to learn to think of other people summertime's not just your self. The world doesn't revolve around you _Cassie_. What did Kirsten ever do to you? Nothing, she was just a good friend. This is just a game to you isn't it, you like to see people in pain, don't you? Well Cassie you are a cold hearted BI-"she didn't get to finish. I had slapped her as hard as I possibly could. She was standing there screaming in pain, countless profanities coming out of her mouth. I could see an angry red mark shaped perfectly of my hand had formed across her cheek. A twisted smile slid across my face as I wondered if she would have a bruise shaped like my hand.

My smile instantly dissipated as I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. Everyone was silent; I could feel the tears start to run down my cheeks. I dropped my head, I wished the person that the hand belonged to hadn't just seen how I had acted. I looked back up at the faces of the kids in the cafeteria. They were all blank, showing no emotion, impassive. They almost looked like they were under a spell.

Rory's hand guided me out of the cafeteria to the edge of the parking lot. I let my legs give way. I was crumpled on the ground crying, I had just hit someone, probably lost my best friend, and would probably be expelled. I sat there on the ground for about half of an hour crying until no more tears would come.

The whole time Rory stayed a few feet back. He didn't try and comfort me and for that I was glad. When I looked up to him his face looked callous, then angry, and then empathetic and caring.

He walked over to me and picked me up. I didn't argue or contest as he cradled me in his arms while he walked. Even after what just happened. I was sure that if anyone saw there mind would be confirmed as to what Lena and Kirsten had said. But as he walked I didn't feel uncomfortable, I felt safe and cared for. For the first time all day my nerves calmed. And for the first time in weeks I fell into peaceful sleep in his arms.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

When I woke up I was covered in a blanket similar to my comforter, but I knew it wasn't. It smelled different, amazing, but different. The blanket was pulled over my head. I could hear people talking in another room.

"Well, you picked one with enough angst." Said a male voice just as smooth as Rory's.

"I don't think she is in a stable state from what you've told us." Said a beautifully sweet female.

"That could work to our advantage." Said a female voice slightly more annoyed.

"Elyse," I heard Rory groan "I don't want to lie to her."

"Like you're not already." The girl named Elyse said.

I pushed the blanket off my head. They abruptly stopped talking. I was in what looked like an exceptionally nice living room. All of the walls were white except for a scarlet accent wall. I was lying on a crème colored leather couch, opposite were two matching recliners, and in between them was a toffee colored coffee table. There was a plasma screen television against one of the walls above an exquisite looking fireplace.

Six people walked into the room. I didn't hear there footsteps and was slightly surprised to see them there.

I sat up. My heart was pounding while I tried to remember how I got here and if I even knew these people. My eyes recognized Rory and I was relieved. All of there faces were pale. I felt my breath get stuck in my throat as I looked at them.

"H…how did I get here?" I stammered. The eldest of them let out a soft chuckle. He was definitely handsome, he looked no older than twenty-eight, but I could tell that he was the father. He had light brown hair, slightly long swept back so I could see his face. He wore navy blue slacks and a white button down dress shirt. His eyes were spring foliage green and beautiful but not as beautiful as Rory's.

"Hello Cassie my name is Damien." He held out his hand and I shook it. I was slightly perturbed by the formal gesture; I didn't shake that many people's hands.

"Hello, not to be rude or anything but who are you and where am I?" this made his brows knit.

"I just told you who I was" he had misunderstood what I was asking.

"I meant that more along the lines of did I know any of you."

"Well no," he answered "were Rory's family, and you are in our house.

"Where exactly are we, the last house that Rory had been like forty-five minutes away from me." I must have looked nervous; I could hear it in my voice.

"We live about 3 miles south east of you." That made sense, that was were the big houses were, the really expensive ones (I could tell because of how nice the living room was).

"What time is it?"

"Let's see it is, just past five."

"What?!?" I immediately shot up off of the couch "thank you so much for your hospitality, but I really have to get going, my mother is probably worried." I said this all in one breathe. I hurried to a door that I expected to lead outside but when I opened it, it was just a coat closet.

They were all laughing. It really was pretty to listen to, like a music box. Nonetheless when I turned my face had decided to match the scarlet wall. They only laughed harder. When everyone calmed down Rory spoke.

"Cassie it's alright, I called your mother and asked if you could stay here a while, I told her you had a trying day and would want some company instead of staying in your empty house, or would you rather be there?"

"No, thank you." I could feel the guilt in my stomach but I didn't know why. My mind was suppressing something from me that desperately wanted to know.

"Um, why was today so trying? I know that that may sound stupid but I can't remember." I _knew_ that that sounded stupid, how could I not remember something that was being described as _trying_.

"First why don't I introduce my family to you?" Damien said. I just nodded. "This is Jillian" he put his hand on a girls shoulder. She was slightly older than me and a ½ inch shorter. She had natural red spunky hair cropped just above her chin. She had dollar bill green eyes, I looked around, they all had green eyes, but none of them shone like Rory's did. Her slight frame seemed out of place with her powerful presents.

"You can call me Jill." she smiled all of her teeth were perfect like in a toothpaste ad. Damien walked to an older looking boy; he was built like the star quarter back of a high school football team. He had extremely dark brown, shaggy hair. He was the type of guy that my friends and I would talk about at sleepovers.

"This is Triston." Damien spoke as he moved to the next girl. "This is Elyse."

I averted my eyes from her smirk. She was about 5'6" slender, with flowing golden hair that looked like she had just modeled for a new beach hair product.

"And of course you know Rory" Damien finished.

I definitely knew Rory.

One of the beautiful women who entered the room at first came back in. I realized that she hadn't been introduced. I felt bad for not seeing her leave the room. She was holding a steaming bowl of what I guessed to be soup.

"This is Melanie, my wife" Damien said as he looked lovingly at the brunette beauty.

"I've brought you some soup" she said. "Oh my, why don't you sit down dear." She said after watching me stumble over my foot and being caught around the waist by Damien.

"Thank you so much" I said starring down at the soup. I didn't know what to do, it was chicken noodle. I was a vegetarian. I couldn't refuse that would be rude. I looked up; everyone was staring at me expectantly.

"Is something wrong dear?" Melanie asked.

"No, of course not" I said looking back down at my soup preparing to take my first bite. From the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw Damien telling something to Rory but his lips were moving unusually fast I wasn't sure. Rory interrupted just as I had lifted my spoon.

"Melanie what kind of soup is that?"

"Chicken noodle" she answered I was praying he was going where I thought he was with this.

"Cassie is a vegetarian" he announced. I heard a snicker from Elyse and a full out laugh from Triston. I looked up everyone looked awestruck.

"Well I guess I'll go and make something else"

"No, no please, you don't have to." I looked at her pleadingly. "Thank you really, but you don't need to go to the trouble I'm fine."

Melanie smiled and sat on the couch.

"So what happ-"my stomach decided to contest me as I growled mi sentence. Melanie raised her eyebrows.

"You have to eat something, just tell me what you want." She sounded like a parent telling a child they couldn't have dessert until they ate their broccoli.

"Fine, could I just have an apple?"

"Of course" she bustled of into the kitchen. I was becoming agitated that I kept getting distracted from asking my question.

"So what happened today, the last thing I can remember was" I thought back searching my brain for the last thing "getting my things from my locker." Instead of listening Damien checked the clock on the wall.

"Triston, why don't you give Cassie a ride home, it is getting late" Damien advised.

Did he do that on purpose? That was all I could think, no one would answer my question.

"Dad, I can drive her" Rory said. I was taken aback at his calling Damien dad so casually. Dad, it didn't fit Damien was too young.

"No, you can't, you may go with them but I want Triston to drive" Rory looked pouty but I held back the urge to laugh. Melanie came back with a cut up apple in a bag.

"I heard you were going home" she said explaining the bag.

Triston and Rory led me to the correct door out of the house. It was already dark outside. Next to the curb was a nice looking navy blue car. I slipped in the back with Rory as Triston drove.

The car ride was short but the entire time Rory complained that Triston was driving too slowly. Frankly I was glad that Damien had forbade Rory to drive, I thought Triston was going too fast, but Rory obviously disagreed. I don't think he even got his license till mid October.

Triston pulled up next to the curb of my house all of the lights were off. Rory and Triston walked me to the door. I gave Rory a hug. I turned to face Triston and was embraced into a bear hug.

"I…ca…n't" he let go of me, I was gasping for air "breathe" I finished. He was grinning and it was infectious. Rory punched him in the arm.

"I didn't mean to squeeze her that hard, it's not my fault you chose someone so fragile." I laughed.

"I'll talk to you soon Rory called as he and Triston walked down the path to the car. I walked into the house, closed the door and locked it.

"Mom? Are you here?" I knew she wasn't but I felt uneasy so I checked the garage, her car wasn't there.

I wanted to go to sleep. I wasn't tired after sleeping the whole afternoon but I didn't want to have to explain why today was so trying, especially when I myself didn't know. Thank g-d it was Friday.

I snuck under my blanket and smelled it wondering if my blanket could possibly smell as wonderful as _his_. I closed my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep.

That night I dreamed for the first time in months. It was like my day had rewound.

_I was running up the stairs again. My foot slipped just like I knew I would, but when I fell Rory didn't catch me, he wasn't even there._

_I had a cut above my eyebrow and it was bleeding, my hands were also scraped. I could feel the pain. I thought in dreams you weren't supposed to feel pain?_

_Jill was there, so was Triston._

"_You can help her Jill, do it now." Triston commanded._

"_What if this was meant to happen, what if I'm not helping her?" she asked._

_I was in pain, why couldn't she see that? They both continued to argue but the scene was changing, first it became a meadow, then wooden floors, carpet, the marble stairs of their house, it settled on the cold cement in the murky light. With each change of scene came more pain, more cuts and bruises, more blood. Though the scene kept changing their argument never wavered. I looked at Triston and Jill, they were staring back at me, there eyes glowing like Rory's._

_Elyse entered the scene. I watched as she took in my crumpled form on the ground, as she blinked and when she reopened her eyes they had the same glowing quality. That was when I understood I should feel uneasy and in danger because of the attribute._

_She approached the three of us. "You need to help her" she stated the same as Triston had._

"_I don't think I should" Jill replied again. Why shouldn't she? I was in serious pain._

_She turned to glare at Triston. "Anyways, if you really believed that I should you would have already made me."_

_I heard a truly menacing growl from somewhere, I couldn't tell the pain was so disorienting. It wasn't the type of growl from a bear or a dog, it had to be human; but I didn't think anyone human could make such a powerful, frightening noise._

"_Jill, __now__" Rory roared._

"_So you really will just leave her then? That is what you'll have to do" I was whimpering in pain I just wish this feeling would go away._

"_Yes, this is my fault, now please." Rory was begging_

"_Fine," Jill said, she sounded pained. She placed her hand on my chest and I felt as if someone had doused me with a bucket of ice water. The pain was gone and I was relieved. "I'm sorry" Jill whispered. I didn't understand her apology; she had taken my pain away._

"_Goodbye Cassandra" Rory whispered in my ear, I did understand the apology._

I woke up breathing heavily, I was shivering, and my body was covered in a light sheen of sweat. What a weird dream. It felt real. I could easily remember the sensation of pain. I didn't like sitting in the stuffy room.

I got up and tied my hair into a ponytail. I didn't bother to change out of my sweats and t-shirt. I quickly wrote a letter to my still sleeping mother.

Mom,

I've gone down to the park for a while. I have my cell, call me if you need me.

Love, Cassie

I placed the note on her alarm clock so she would find it. I grabbed my phone and slipped my converse on. It was dark and gloomy outside. The cold gripped my lungs. It felt good though .

I hadn't dreamt in months, and last night I had had the weirdest dream in my entire life. Or maybe it was a nightmare.

I had reached the park. It was empty. That wasn't strange. I came here a lot and it was a rare occurrence when there were people here. There was a small forest next to the park where a creek ran through. I could always hear it.

I sat on the swing, practicing my breathing. But that was boring. I couldn't just sit there unless I wanted my mind to just stop working.

I got up. There was a narrow opening in the trees that looked like it led to a path. I was right. The path was steep and squashy, with twisting roots that were begging to grab my ankle. But I was careful. It didn't take that long to find the creek, the path led right to it.

I didn't want to go home, so I decided to follow the creek by walking on the banks. Everything was wet down here. I decided to start my journey on the other side. So I crossed the creek on some well placed rocks. I could smell the deteriorating trees and wet stones. Occasionally the stretch of stones and sand would end and I would have to cross the creek to a new patch.

At one particularly unlucky moment my foot slid on and algae covered rock while crossing. My ankle turned and I fell on my knees in the flowing water. I stood gingerly testing my weight on my ankle, it was okay. I couldn't see the sky from where I was, but I guessed that I had been here for about 2 hours. I was surprised my mom hadn't called yet.

I headed back out, being extra careful. I was surprised how far I had walked and relieved when I saw the squishy hill side leading back up to the park. I wanted to get home quickly and change out of my soaked and mud covered sweats. I was embarrassed that someone would see me with my pants like this. Luckily there were no cars on the road. Wait that is weird, there should be. I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was 5:09 A.M., it wasn't gloomy outside, and it was just nighttime.

I felt like I had broken some type of rule by being out at nighttime. I felt a chill go down my spine, I had been alone at three in the morning walking through a forest.

I didn't hesitate to start back home, I wanted to get there, fast. My heart was doing double time as I walked back home. But it completely stopped when I heard a footstep.

I turned on my heel. I could have sworn I'd seen a lock of Jill's fiery hair. I was acting paranoid. I stood still, motionless, and without telling I to do so went into a full sprint towards my house. I was starring at my feet, the ground, the cold cement and the darkness of the outside. This was the setting from my dream.

I shook my head in an attempt to clear my mind. It was a mistake, my foot caught a block of uneven pavement. I tumbled to the ground.

The ground was as cold and hard as I had expected. I didn't feel any pain like in my dream. There was a stinging in my palms, it was just some shallow scrapes from throwing my hands in front of me to break my fall. I felt exhausted. I wanted to just lie on the ground go to sleep and wake up in my warm bed.

But at the sound of a familiar musical voice I sat up.

"Cassie! I saw you fall, are you all right?" Her voice sounded more frightened than the situation warranted, but it felt good to know she cared. Her eyes weren't glowing the way they had been in my dream. She looked at me taking in my appearance; my sweaty face, soaked pants, and shaking body from hyperventilation.

She sighed in relief "well at least you're not bleeding."

"Not to be annoying or inconsiderate, but why are you here it's five in the morning."

"I could ask the same of you, couldn't I?" Jill asked.

"When I left the house I didn't realize it was so early." I said purposefully leaving out why I was up so early. "And your reason?"

"I was going for a morning jog" she answered, why did her answer have to be so normal compared to mine,_ I just had a nightmare where you used some type of magic to heal me then Rory left, I woke up at three in the morning and was so stupid I didn't realize it was still night so I went for a walk alone in the woods_. That would definitely make her think I was crazy. "Do you want me to walk you home?" I guess I could use some company to keep me from doing anything else so irresponsible.

"So why were you up so early?" she asked casually as we walked. Her question was pretty expected but I still wished she hadn't asked.

"I had a nightmare."

"What was it ab-"

"I don't remember" I lied before she could finish her question.

"Hmm"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did, but yes." She laughed.

"Will you tell me about your family?"

"Of course," she looked nervous " what do you want to know?"

I searched through my ever growing list of questions quickly "How old are all of you?"

"I'm sixteen, Triston's almost eighteen, Elyse is seventeen, and Rory will be sixteen in October. I don't know exactly how old Damien and Melanie are but I'd guess somewhere in there late twenties." I thought she was done and I was about to ask how they were so young but she answered before the words could leave my lips. "We were all adopted, from families like Rory's"

"Oh," I said lamely, but what was I supposed to say? I went to my next question. "Why did you transfer from your old school?"

"Remember around a moth back there was a murder at a school?" I did remember, the news had refused to say what school and it was all my school was talking about. The murder had been gruesome and right on campus. "That was our school, Damien and Melanie didn't want us going there anymore." I hadn't actually seen the news report about this because the news was always so depressing that I tried to refrain from watching it.

We were in front of my house now.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked remembering my etiquette.

"Thank you but I need to be getting home and you look like you need to shower." I looked down and laughed.

"I guess your right"

"I'll see you soon" she said as she quickly hugged me then took off jogging. I opened the door quietly so I wouldn't wake my mom. It was still considerably early. Quickly and quietly as I could I took the note from my mother's room and crumpled it in my hand.

I went to the bathroom, started the shower, stripped off my dirty clothes, and hopped in. I was glad the water was already hot. I tried to make my shower quick, I still didn't understand what my nightmare meant.

When I was down showering I dressed in some plaid P.J. pants and a white tee. I grabbed my comforter off of my bed and wrapped it around my body. I hobbled into the office sat in the chair and pressed the on button to the computer. I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Once the computer had booted up I clicked the Google shortcut on my desktop. I typed in "meaning of dream" and clicked the search button. There were plenty of links. I clicked on the first one not really bothering to read the description.

It was plain , it had a black background and a bright green alphabet beneath the alphabet there were directions. It told me to click on the first letter of the main point of my dream. The example it gave was bland, _if you dreamt about skydiving you would click on the S_. the main point of my dream was probably that I was healed. I clicked on the H and the screen became a long list of main points of dreams with descriptions of what they meant underneath. I scrolled down until I found Heal underneath it, it said

_To dream you are being healed means that you need to find a way yourself to fix the emotional problems in your life._

Well that was pointless. That definitely was not what my dream had meant. Especially since it was almost re-enacted this morning.

I wondered what time it was, would it be acceptable to call someone right now? No, it was 7:58 AM on a weekend. Maybe I would call Kirsten, she had called me plenty of times in the middle of the night needing to talk, and now I needed to talk and at least it was in the morning.

I reached for the phone, but something was telling me not to call her. I had the same feeling that I had last night, was it guilt? But why should I feel guilty for calling my best friend?

It was like someone had built a dam in my brain that had just cracked and completely fallen apart. The fight yesterday, I slapped Lena , yelled at Kirsten . She thought I had hooked up with her ex, with _Rory_.

That was why my day was so "trying". Why hadn't someone just told me that yesterday. Were they embarrassed about how I had acted? Were they afraid I would have some type of emotional breakdown?

So I didn't have anyone I really could call. All of my friends hated me. I left the office. I wondered if this was the abyss of my life. I hoped so. I didn't know how I would deal if something worse than this happened.

I had had plans for this weekend with my friends; parties, sleepovers, trips to the mall. But now I had nothing. I knew that if I showed up to any of them I would be shunned and hurt even more.

I collapsed on the sofa, my body ached and I felt terrible (emotionally). I laid there, on the sofa in the living room watching T.V., something I rarely did. Eventually I fell asleep, most likely out of boredom.. I felt lucky that I didn't dream again. I wasn't sure if my mind would continue to work if I had to try and understand and deal with any more. I was pretty sure I would just snap.

"Honey, wake up" my mother was gently prodding me. I groaned and turned over. "Honey , its two thirty in the afternoon, I think you've had enough sleep."

I rolled back to glare at her. Now I would have to find another way to occupy time that didn't involve thinking.

I could see through the windows that the skies were heavily clouded.

"I have to go to a meeting in the city" she told me " I should be back around eight, okay?"

"Fine" I didn't understand why she was asking, what was I going to say, no? My mother was a high-end house designer. She often wasn't at our house, but other peoples. She had an overly large office in the city that I used to go to with her when I was young. I would sit and look through architectural magazines and paint cards and design my perfect room. But as I got older she didn't worry about leaving me at home alone, and I was just happy I didn't have to stay with her in her office all day.

"I love you sweetheart, and please don't just lie on the sofa all day." She said as she walked out the door after kissing my forehead.

Once she was gone I stuck my hand under the sofa cushion to retrieve the remote controller. I turned the T.V. back on which my mom must have turned off. Gilmore Girls was on, not something I really wanted to watch. I used to make fun of Rory for having a girls name but after he made me do some research I found that it really was a boy's name.

I flipped the channels up and down. Usually I loved weekends, but this was different. I had no one to be with. Except for Rory. I wanted to hangout with him but knew it was against my best interest if I wanted any chance of salvaging my relationship with my best friends. The worst part might be that this was a three day weekend, because Monday is a teacher work day. That meant we had no school. Great.

I turned the T.V. off, it wasn't helping me at all. I left my comforter on the sofa as I walked across the cold hardwood floor. I heard my cell phone ring. I didn't move any faster it was probably just my mother, none of my friends would want to talk to me.

I didn't recognize the number flashing on my phone. I pressed talk and the warm smooth voice that sounded like melting chocolate filled my ears.

"Cassie? Finally, I've been calling you all day." Rory sounded relieved.

"Oh" I muttered blankly "I was asleep". If I had known who the number belonged to him, I probably wouldn't have picked up, I loved to talk to him. I just couldn't help feeling that it was his fault that I had lost my friend.

"Really? Jill said she saw you this morning when she was running."

"Yah, she did."

"So I was wondering if we could hang out, I haven't talked to you for awhile."

"You did yesterday."

"Yes, but that wasn't enough time for me to really get caught up on the things going on in your life. So, would you like to hang out?"

"I would but…"

"Great, I'll be at your house in five minutes."

"Let me finish my sentence, I would but my…, wait five minutes, I'm in my P.J.'s."

"So, we'd just be sitting around the house."

"But," I had to think of an excuse quick, _I should hang out with him. _My mind was telling me, which just made it harder to think. "My mom isn't home." I said grudgingly.

"Then I'll pick you up and bring you to my house."

"I'm in my P.J.'s" I repeated. "Why is it so important to see me?"

"What can I say, I miss you" he said playfully.

" As to your excuse, no one will mind."

" I don't go out in public in my pajamas."

"You did this morning." He stated

" How did you know that?"

"Jill told me." I was worrying just how much Jill had told him.

"I would have to ask my mother, and she's not here." I said in a last feeble attempt at an excuse.

"Then call her"

"Fine I'll call you when I get an answer." I sighed in defeat and hung up the phone. I quickly tapped in the numbers to my mothers work phone.

"Hello, Michelle Sunnel Designs."

"Hi mom"

" Oh, hello sweetie."

"Yes, I have to go now, love you"

"Love you mom, I'll talk to you later." I hung up. I walked to the bathroom to check my appearance, if he was only going to give me five minutes to get ready, I wouldn't call him until I only needed five more minutes.

My hair was in a messy ponytail. My plaid pants lower on my hips than my super low rise jeans. My bra was clearly visible through my too tight white shirt.

The doorbell rang, I started walking to the hall to answer it. It rang again. Whoever it was needed more patience. "Coming" I called slightly agitated.

I swung the door open. Rory was standing outside. He looked smug as he took in my appearance.

"What happened to waiting until I called?"

"I knew your mother would say yes." He said while walking past me into my house.

"And what if she didn't?"

"But she did."

"Well, what if she hadn't?"

"You could have told me when I got here." He replied dryly.

"Well then, she said no"

"No she didn't. You said 'if she hadn't', clearly implying that she did indeed say yes."

How come I never won these arguments? "Humph"

"So, would you like to hang out here, or at my house?"

"I don't care."

"Why don't you come to my house?"

"Fine, just let me change."

"No, its fine, you look fine, you don't need to." He said as he pushed me by my back towards the door. He stopped once we were on the porch and the door was closed. He started to walk down the path towards the car that Triston had driven me home in. I grabbed his arm, it was as cold as the creek I had fallen into this morning and as hard as marble.

His head spun to meet my eyes faster than I could ever move. He didn't look angry or anything, just surprised. His eyes were like a light dimmer. When I had been opening the door they had been glowing dully, but now they were like a newly replaced light bulb.

"I…I…I just have to grab my cell phone." I said instantly releasing his arm and grabbing the door. Once inside I remembered the feeling of uneasiness and danger from my dream. Maybe I should feel nervous? But I couldn't help but feel happy when I saw him, like an over inflated balloon inside of my chest. I knew that was wrong, the situation being as it was.

I ran out the door, and down the path. Rory was sitting in the car as it idled against my curb.

I guess now I would get to see just how fast he drove. I hopped in the car. The heater and radio were on. The radio playing 'I write sins not tragedies'. I liked the song.

"Ready?" he flashed me his perfect smile, I couldn't help but stare at his face. I knew it was rude to stare, and felt bad when Rory dropped his head and smiled. The dimples he had once had weren't there. He looked so much less like a boy and more like a man. It surprised me.

" Is there a reason you are staring at me?"

"You look so much different than I remember." I blurted before I could think about it. It was my turn to look down. I felt the blush on the top of my cheekbones, the guilty feeling of being with Rory even though I know I shouldn't be, but I was feeling something else. I felt like my stomach wasn't there, like I had left it back at my house. I looked out the window and realized it probably had. We were going too fast. I couldn't even make out the distinction of houses and trees. My stomach didn't have time to react by feeling motion sick. The ride took literally sixty seconds.

We were sitting in the car silently in front of his extravagant house.

"You don't like my driving?" he laughed.

"How could you tell?" I asked sarcastically. He flipped down the mirror so I could see my face. It was lighter than the cream couch I had lounged upon yesterday afternoon. He got out and walked around to my door and opened it for me. "So now I can't open my own door?" I looked down sheepishly at the rudeness of my words. "Thanks" I said trying to redeem myself. He closed my door for me.

I stood and admired his house. It was the last on his cul-de-sac of a street , easily the biggest. It was at least three floors. The outside was an eggshell color with dark brown roofing tiles. Around the ground floor of the house was a beautiful veranda.

We walked up the steps to the veranda and through the exquisite double doors that opened into the living room. Cuddled on the couch were Jill and Triston, she was leaning against his chest while he read the newspaper. I felt intrusive when I entered the room and tried to keep my eyes on anything except for them.

They looked up. I saw Jill's eyes brighten, the way some one did when they were happy about something, they brightened figuratively.

"I'm glad you came." She said. Triston just smiled hugely.

Damien and Melanie came out from what I guessed was the kitchen, and I'd saw Elyse look over from a balcony overhead. Why was it such a family affair that I was here?

"What a pleasure it is to have you with us today Cassie." Damien said.

I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled timidly. I was completely embarrassed that the whole family I had just met could see my bra.

"Rory, you let her walk out of the house without a sweatshirt." Melanie scolded.

"I'm fine really."

"That's what you said last night about eating." Triston called to me over his shoulder.

I felt comfortable with his family already, and I was pretty sure they felt the same way about me. I liked how they were so accepting.

"Give her a sweatshirt before you do anything"

"Yes mom" Rory said as he began to lead me upstairs.

It truly was a grand staircase. Marble with a chocolate rug down the middle. About halfway up the first set I slipped but grabbed the railing to catch myself. The second set He stared at me expectantly the entire time. On the first few steps of the second set I slipped but he caught me. He carried me the rest of the way up. Once at the top of the stairs he didn't put me down. We just stood there.

"You and stairs don't go well, do you?"

"Why do you think I live in a one story house?" I remarked. "Can I walk myself please?"

"You didn't seem to have a problem with this yesterday afternoon."

"I was having sort of a mental breakdown yesterday."

I had stayed put once I was on my feet but he had continued walking, down the hall into a room. I walked slowly to the same room, but as I entered I was covered in a heavy, white material. It was pushed down over my head, which popped out of the top, it was a sweatshirt.

"So let's review things, I can't open my own doors, walk up steps from my own energy, or put sweatshirts on myself."

"It is not my fault that you are so incompetent." He said as he strolled to sit against the foot board of his beautiful four poster bed. The walls of his room were white, there was a desk and dresser that matched his bed. Atop the dresser were at least 50 books. The rest of the room was adorned with little trinkets from who knows when and who knows where.

I walked more clumsily to his bed and moved his pillow aside and sat, opposite him leaning against the headboard. We started off with pointless chatter more about his friends and family.

"So what does Damien do for a job?"

"He's a lawyer"

"He doesn't seem like a lawyer."

"There is a way people seem compared to their profession?"

"No, but…"

"Exactly, next question."

That was how it went. I was dancing around the topic but eventually it came up.

"How come you wouldn't tell me what happened yesterday? I remember now. But why didn't you tell me?"

"What do you mean?"

"How come you didn't just tell me about my fight? How I slapped Lena ." I paused and inhaled a jagged breath. "I almost called them before I remembered, you should have just told me."

"Is that what your bad dream was about? You slapped her? Yesterday you fought with your friends, it wasn't that bad. I saw you leave and followed you to the parking lot."

I was completely confused. That wasn't my dream, my nightmare. I didn't make it up, why was he lying to me?

"That isn't what happened" I said looking at him directly in his eyes. He looked angry but I didn't think that it was directed at me. He reached his hands up to rub his temples. I grabbed his wrists with my own hands that looked so small in comparison to his.

"Why are you lying to me?"

Before I knew what was happening his hands were on the sides of my head pressing against the headboard. His lips and nose ran softly up the side of my neck to my lips. When he kissed me I kissed back.

I turned my head so his lips were pressed against my cheek. And whispered pleadingly.

"Please don't" before I slipped off of his bed and out the door. I stumbled klutzily down the stairs till I reached the bottom floor. The entire family, excluding Rory was down stairs.

"Can someone give me a ride home?"

Damien rose after shooting anxious glances to his family. "Of course" He said "I will". I didn't pay any attention to the ride home. I knew that we moved just as fast as we had on the way to that haven house. I didn't care though. I could feel the tears running down my face as I said my thanks and watched the dark car zoom into the distance.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

After all of the times that I had imagined Rory kissing me, it had happened. It wasn't like any of the kisses that I had ever received. Though I didn't want to think about it I could still remember it perfectly. I could still feel a tingling sensation on my lips and my cheek. Where he had lingered on my neck, his breath on my throat. It was still cold.

The kiss was aggressive, but in a passionate way. He didn't force me to open my mouth. He just pushed his lips against mine.

The first few weeks that Kirsten had gone out with Rory I had a huge crush on him. I had imagined countless situations. All of these were selfish and mostly centered around Rory breaking up with her and then telling me he couldn't live without me. Sure, I liked him. It was different now though.

I had been lying in my bed for the past six or so hours. I was still wearing Rory's sweatshirt, I couldn't bring myself to take it off. I was just staring at the ceiling, thinking. Not about anything in particular, most of my thoughts were disjointed and unfinished. When my mom had gotten home I had pretended to be asleep. I wasn't tired at all, just confused.

I desperately wanted to call Kirsten and make up with her. I wanted to explain to her that Rory and I didn't do anything, that I would never do anything like that to her. But I couldn't now. Now that would be lying.

It wasn't really his fault, I doubt that he meant for that to happen. But it still did. It was well into the morning when I finally fell asleep.

I spent both Sunday and Monday in my room. When my mom came to check on me I told her I was reading a new book or doing homework.

Monday night I couldn't sleep at all. Not a wink. I couldn't be friends with him anymore, he made me break my loyalty to my friend. My best friend.

Tuesday morning eventually came. The car ride to school was the same as normal. Everyone was still talking about the Havens, that didn't surprise me. They were still new students. It was almost painful to listen to. Luckily no one brought up the fight in the cafeteria from Friday.

At school I walked to my locker. I passed Triston and Jill. Jill looked like she was about to come up to me, but Triston put his arm around her and held her back. For this I was glad. I didn't think I would be able to handle myself properly if she attempted conversation.

First period I took notes vigilantly trying to distract my mind. Second period came. Sara wouldn't swim in the same lane as me let alone talk to me. I had thought that she out of everyone would at least listen to me. Still no one was talking about Friday. Maybe it really hadn't happened. No, it did, I know it did.

At brunch I didn't buy food. I didn't stand with my friends, I walked briskly past everyone. Down the hall to the library. I knew that this was a place I wouldn't have to worry about being distracted by anyone. I walked past the shelves that were shoved so close together that one body could barely fit in between them. I chose to sit in the religion section, no one would be there. I found I sturdy looking bookcase and sat on the ground my back against it.

When the bell rang me attempted deep calming breathes that just ended up making me dizzy. I knew that this would be the hardest part of my day.

I walked into the classroom. Mimi was glaring at me. Rory sat next to my now empty usual chair. I caught his eye, they weren't there normal glow like I had expected it. They were dull, empty, plain, _normal_ green. I dropped my head and walked to a vacant seat on the opposite side of the room.

Mrs. Pembry was like my personal devil when she told us to get with our partners from Friday. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples preparing to walk to his seat, before I realized this was what he had done before… _it_ happened. My eyes shot open. He was standing at the side of my desk. He looked like he were about to give me some cliché excuse. I spoke first though.

"No, just stop." I got up and walked to Mrs. Pembry.

"Mrs. Pembry, my partner and I didn't get a scene on Friday."

She looked at me and then glanced at Rory. "Very well then." She handed me two scripts. "We will be performing on Friday."

I walked back to my seat and handed one of the scripts to Rory. As I quickly read through the scene I deduced that it was about a boy professing his love to a girl who had a boyfriend already.

If there was a g-d they liked to see me in misery.

We started to read the lines, his full of overwhelming emotion, while I purposefully kept mine at a boring monotone. The scene would have been pretty good if I just put emotion into it, most of it was like this.

"Please," he said pained. "Just give me a chance, one try." His voice was oozing with enough passion to make me sick.

"No it wont work I don't want this" I said dully ignoring all punctuation leaving no pauses.

That was how the period went. Every time he would say something not in the script I would just start the scene over by saying the first line. During fourth period we worked on essays. Lunch was bland. I sat at an empty table doing homework. Fifth period was lousy. I forgot my Spanish book and the whole time Lena shot skeptical glares my way. They were mean but didn't measure up to how mean they should have been seeing as I hit her.

When I walked in to sixth period I was truly surprised. Elyse was sitting in my classroom. U.S. government was a junior class but I had taken two social studies classes last year. There were a lot of boys crowded around her desk trying to get her attention. But her eyes watched me as I trudged to my seat. The bell rang and most everyone took their seat. The senile Ms. Rogers talked about some new projects we were going to start. When she told us to go and find partners I was in the process of getting up to ask her if I could work alone. But I distinctly heard Elyse tell her many admirers that I was going to be her partner. I looked up. I must have looked like a dear in headlights. She walked over to me.

"Look, I don't care if you want to be my partner or not, because you are going to be." I sat when she said this.

"Fine, then lets get to work."

"No, let's talk. We are both smart enough to finish this in one period, and we have a week."

"I'd rather not."

"Look, Rory told me what happened. I don't know how delusional you are, but whatever you think happened on Friday didn't. And you shouldn't be mad at him for kissing you." I blushed at her last words. "Maybe you don't realize it but you were sending out messages to him that you wanted it plus he's a boy he couldn't help himself."

I glared at her and raised my hand. I didn't take my eyes away from Elyse until Ms. Rogers called on me.

"May I please use the rest room?"

"There are only five minutes left of class, can't you hold it Cassie?"

"I don't think I can, it's an emergency." I was willing to do or say anything to get out of that room.

"Fine, take the pass." I left the classroom and went to the bathroom. I didn't comeback until the bell had rung.

Seventh period was easy not to think about Rory. I had math, and I had to pay attention in that class.

After school I walked through the parking lot to the bus stop. I could see Rory and Elyse leaning against their navy car. I kept my eyes away though.

When I got home I went straight to my room and did homework. When I was done with that I worked on cleaning an area of the house until it was disturbingly spotless.

That was how my week continued. Third and sixth period were the hardest. I kept the same manner as Tuesday in third period. Sixth period was harder, Elyse would pester me continuously. I wouldn't answer anything until she started to work on the project and would immediately stop talking when she brought it back up.

Friday was the absolute worst. 3rd period droned on as Mrs. Pembry picked on student volunteers. I refused to lift my hand. I was hoping that she would just forget about me. She didn't, we ended up going last. The scene was different than we practiced it. There was more emotion than I expected. We were about halfway through the scene.

"Veronica, I love you I can't help it." That was the end of his line but he continued to talk "I'm sorry that things ended up like this, I'm just having so much trouble pretending I don't care, I do care."

"Max, I can't do that, it isn't right." There was the end of my line. What came out next was completely by accident. "You may not have meant for this to happen, but it did. You are just making my life worse."

"Why not?" he roared. That wasn't his line at all. "Why not? I'm trying so hard, I really am. I just can't stay away from you. It isn't my fault that you have shit friends who hold grudges. I know that you feel the same way about me as I do about you."

I walked over to him, standing recklessly close. "You can't know that." I paused. "And even if you did know, I would never do that to my friend."

He closed his eyes inhaled deeply and when he exhaled he whispered my name so that only I could hear. He opened his eyes, they were glowing. I didn't feel the fear that I knew I should. Instead my heart raced. I had missed his eyes so much.

"Okay." Mrs. Pembry said still in shock. "You deviated from the script a bit, but we understood the emotion." She started clapping and the class did too. It was the awkward sparse clapping that is the result of not knowing whether they approved of something or not.

As I walked back to my seat I glared murderously at Rory. To annoy me further he just smiled back.

I didn't listen at all during fourth period. I was busy thinking about how I was going to apologize to Kirsten. I just wanted to have friends again. I decided that I hadn't hit Lena . No one was talking about it and I hadn't been sent to the principals' office in trouble. I missed Kirsten and wanted her back; I just didn't know how to go about doing it.

The bell rang, re-jumbling my semi-sorted thoughts. I knew that if my plan was going to work I would have to talk to her alone.

I walked to my locker, which are two away from Kirsten's, hurriedly. When I got there Lena was leaning against the locker chatting with Kirsten as she put her stuff away. Wonderful. I cleared my throat as to get their attention.

"Kirsten?" she turned her head slowly in my direction. Her mid-length blond hair making her appears more innocent than I knew she was.

"Yes Cassie?" she said in an overly polite tone. She was looking in my direction, but right through me.

"May I talk to you?"

"Yes."

"Without Lena ." I said a tad sharper than I had meant.

"Fine." We walked down the hall a bit before I turned to talk.

I took a deep breath before we started. The knot in my throat becoming evident immediately. "I'm sorry about what you think happened, but on Friday I didn't kiss Rory." That was half true I didn't kiss him on _Friday_. "I just hugged him." I looked into her pitiless eyes and kept talking. "This last week has been terrible." My voice cracked and before I knew it I was talking through sobs. "I would never do that to you. I would never betray my loyalty over him. You are so much more important. You have eleven years to his three. I would never hurt you on purpose." She didn't say anything the entire time I spoke.

"I stood there with Lena and watched, we both saw it happen." With that she turned and left me. My face tear stained and my spirit broken.

I was hurt that she hadn't believed me. It was just a silly rumor. I walked to the library ignoring the stares as I passed people. I headed to my usual spot. I stopped when someone was already sitting there. I inched forward to see who it was.

My face flushed when I peeked around the corner and my eyes were met by someone else's.

It was Jonathon O'Neil. I only knew him because he played on our school baseball team.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you." I said while turning to find a new place to sit.

"No its okay." He looked at me, my eyes red. "Are you? Okay that is."

"Yes I'm fine" I lied, but I wasn't going to burden him with my troubles. I didn't think.

"Here, why don't you sit with me?" he said while scooting over to make room for me.

"Okay" I said dropping to the floor.

"So what's up with you? Break up with your boyfriend or something?"

"Or something."

"Tell me about it?" I knew I didn't want to burden him, but it just spilled out of my mouth, one word tumbling after the next before I could stop it.

"Oh" he said when I had finished. He looked perplexed most likely expecting something more superficial, not that my situation wasn't.

" Why are you sitting in the religion section, I doubt your actually interested in it."

"Just escaping the world to sort my thoughts on life."

"What are they?"

"That it sucks." I couldn't help but laugh, but he looked at me sternly.

"My parents are getting a divorce, my mom says that it isn't my fault but I know it is. My dad even came up to me and said that I ruined their marriage. I might get cut from the baseball team because my grades are dropping, and this morning I found my goldfish Willy dead." At the last part my heart throbbed, I had lost a lot of pets, and no matter how small it always hurt.

"Wow" that was all I could say, and it really did sum up his story. We sat there talking until the end of lunch.

Sixth period was easy but annoying. Elyse just stared at me knowingly the entire period as we worked diligently on our project. It wasn't until I was about to slip out of the door that she said something.

"See, it was your fault just as much as his."

When I was walking down the hall to the parking lot, I could see out the window, I could see the havens, all of them except one (can you guess who?). I put my head down as I always did when I saw any of them. They had welcomed me to they family and this was how I treated them. I disgusted myself.

With my head down I wasn't watching where I was going, and I walked headlong into the door. I thought. It wasn't the right texture; doors were hard, cold, and metal. The first two for whatever I had walked into made sense. But the texture of it didn't. It was cotton.

I looked up and found myself melting in the gaze of Rory's glowing emerald eyes. His hands were placed on the sides of my arms to steady me. He opened my mouth, I almost let him talk, but I knew it would hurt me because I would end up relishing in the sound my whole boring weekend.

"I don't want to hear it." I said through gritted teeth while attempting to walk past him, but his hands held me in place. "Just let me go!" my tear ducts had been working overtime for the past week, and this was no exception. The moisture was building against my bottom eyelid. He released me and I hurried toward the ready to depart bus.

At home I dug through my bag to find my homework planner; finally after searching to no avail, I dumped it upside down. The contents spilled onto my bed in front of me.

After I saw the first thing that came out of my bag I wasn't paying attention to my planner anymore. I pushed the top of the pile off of my bed to my floor to retrieve the single piece of paper.

_Cassie,_

_I know that you may not ever want to talk to me again._

That was half right. I continued.

_I am sorry about everything that has happened because of me. I'll say it as many times as you need to hear it. I need to be near you, I can't help myself when I'm not. Just be my friend, that's all I want._

_Love, Rory_

That was stupid, you can't be friends with someone of the opposite sex and not want anything more. But that wasn't what my mind had started working overtime for, that wasn't what my heart had stuttered about. The way he had signed it. Love.

Stop! I commanded myself. From my pile of things I had hastily pushed off of the bed I took my planner and found some math that needed to be done. I had placed the note on the window sill and couldn't help looking at it every five minutes to make sure I hadn't imagined it.

I wasn't getting anywhere. I had finished more or less three problems, leaning towards the less.

I got out of my desk and reached under my comforter to pull out _his_ sweatshirt. I kept it their so my mother wouldn't find it. I shoved it over my head and inhaled. It didn't smell as strong as it had the first days, but I could still smell it. It smelled amazing, not like axe or tag or anything else boys drowned themselves in these days.

I sat in a chair , my knees to my chest, curled up inside the sweatshirt.

I couldn't help it, with each day I was thinking about him more and more. I ignored him in class and Elyse's accusations. Elyse's words had struck a nerve today though. I knew it was my fault. I wanted it. I didn't even try to stop it at first.

I walked to the kitchen, taking out some frozen fruit, orange juice, and yogurt. I dumped half of the bag of frozen strawberries in the blender, then piled the orange juice and yogurt on top.

The blender roared as the metal blade sliced through everything. It helped, it was too loud for me to hear what my head was screaming at me.

When it was done I poured the red mixture into a glass, I was walking towards the living room when my mind cracked from the strain of me silencing it. I heard him say my name. My eyes went wide, I could feel sweat droplets forming at the roots of my hair, and I didn't move. I didn't move even a millimeter.

I felt a hand brush my hip. I dropped the glass.

The drink splattered everywhere, the glass splintered at my feet. I wasn't thinking about the stains the drink was going to leave when he said my name again.

I didn't need him to say it again for me to turn in place, as to avoid the shards of glass around my feet. He was so close, I went to step back but retracted my foot as soon as I heard the glass shift under my foot.

"Cassie."

"What?" I said it barely audible to myself. He probably thought I had mouthed the word, but he answered.

"I can't do it."

"Do what?"

"Leave you alone."

"I've noticed."

We said this in calm hushed tones, not angry or yelling.

"Did you read my note?"

"Yes" I exhaled, I was so close I could see a few strands of his hair move by my breath.

"And?

"And you can't just walk into peoples houses."

"But what about the note?"

"I think it'd be best if you left now."

He looked shocked. He looked at me, at his sweatshirt.

I looked down. I looked embarrassed, I was blushing.

With two fingers placed under my chin he lifted my head and stared at me.

"I am sorry." I thought back to his note, he said he would say that as many times as I needed to hear it.

"Those three words are said too much, they're not enough." I said quoting a favorite song. The irony is that the three words are supposed to be I love you.

"Why don't you say what you want to?" then he left. Leaving me awestruck, standing in a pile of smoothie and broken glass, in his now stained sweatshirt. I was afraid that he knew how I felt about him, but that didn't make sense, I wasn't even sure how I felt about him.

I spent the weekend like I had the last, in my room, shut off from the world.

Monday passed quickly. In drama we were starting improvisational skills and mostly played games that revolved around improv. I never volunteered to go up. In sixth period Elyse and I turned in our project.

The best parts of my days were lunch when I could sit and chat aimlessly with Jonathon. We laughed and smiled, he really was helping me.

And that was how that week went, and the next, and the next.

Each day uninterrupted by Rory, but not my mind, that wandered to him often. Once when talking with Jonathon I accidentally called him Rory. In 3rd period we were seeing how much we had progressed and working on monologues.

Kirsten sill didn't talk to me. And neither did any of my other friends.

In P.E. we were training for track. We were currently training for long distance. I understand what the point of building endurance is, but what Mr. Hopkins was making us do was insane. It was a five mile run around the perimeter of the school, down the street tat looped back around, then around the school again.

I looked down to check, once again, that my shoes were tied. When the whistle blew I started. I momentarily thought about 'accidentally' tripping and faking a sprained ankle. I would be sent home. But I would miss talking to Jacob today and it wasn't worth that. I was breathing hard once we had started on the street. I had already fallen twice. I wasn't going to wuss out over that though. Felt dizzy, wishing I had had breakfast.

I was pushing my body. I had a headache and my breathing was short. The school was coming back into view. We were entering the parking lot. My rib cage felt like someone was squeezing the air out. We rounded the office. I could see the cafeteria. Once on the other side I wasn't sure whether I had stopped or fallen while I was running. But before I hit the ground I had passed out. It was probably the combination of the running and what I had seen.

I had seen Rory. That wasn't what had caught me off guard though. It was who he was with. A girl. She was flirting with him shamelessly. Her annoying laugh echoing in my ears. She had reached out to take his hand but he had moved away. That was when my world went black. But I knew who the girl was. The girl was Lena .

Maybe I had let out a scream or maybe he had just been watching me. When I awoke I was lying on the crinkly wax paper that was only in the nurse's office. The nurse was standing over me when my eyes fluttered open. It was kind of scary, but not as much as what I had seen before I hit the torturously hard cement.

"She's fine, let's go back to class now." Lena was standing at the back of the room, most likely angry I had stolen Rory's attention away. He was crouched next to the cot I was on, eyeing me closely. I wanted to tell Lena that she could have his attention, but other words came out first.

"You backstabbing slut!" I shot up into a sitting position glaring at Lena . The nurse looked appalled at what I had said and she quickly left the room like I had cursed he 'virgin' ears. Lena just stared at me her mouth agape. I attempted to stand, but I was still woozy, my knees nearly gave out before Rory pushed me back into a sitting position. I opened my mouth to say more to her but Rory's hand clamped tight over it.

"I think that you should go back to class." He said.

"I think I should stay and look after my friend." She said.

That's when I couldn't control myself, I did something I hadn't done in years. I stuck out my tongue and licked his hand. It tasted good, I know that sounds weird but it did. It didn't taste salty like most peoples hands do. He immediately withdrew his hand.

"Friend?!?" I spat "You are not my fuci-" I was cut off again by Rory's hand.

" Lena , leave." He said looking stern. She did though I doubted she wanted to.

The nurse re-entered the room as the bell was ringing that signaled break. She told me to come back if at any time that day I was feeling dizzy. I stood and thanked her. As I hurried from the office I could hear Rory close on my tail.

"Seeing as I saved your life, will you talk to me again?"

"You didn't save my life."

"Well you would have been stuck lying on the ground."

"Someone would have found me."

He easily sped up and walked in front of me, stopping me in my path. "Please, just talk to me. Lena didn't have a problem talking with me." He knew exactly what to say.

My mind pushed that around. I wasn't really sure what to do with that information, I knew it was true. She was talking, flirting even, with him. Would it be digging me in a deeper hole with my friend to just talk to him. Yes. I didn't care though, I wasn't going to miss this opportunity.

"Fine," he let me walk again. " I just have a question, it's kinda been bugging me."

"Go on." He said as we stood in front of the gym locker room.

"Why do your eyes…" I wasn't sure if I should say glow, it might sound offensive "change color." He stood for a moment, the crease between his eyebrows deep.

"Isn't that like asking why your fingernails grow? They just do." He sighed. "I don't know why they do."

"I'll be back in a second I just have to change." I said pointing to my P.E. clothes that I was still wearing. I changed quickly and when I returned he was waiting for me. "Just so you know, I do know hwy my nails grow." He rolled his eyes. We were walking towards the lunch line for break. As I waited in line he stood off to the side." Aren't you going to get any food?"

"No, I don't eat the food here." He said while smirking.

"It's not _that_ unhealthy."

Instead of answering me he was looking past me. I turned my head to see what had captivated his interest. It was his family, but they weren't looking back at us, they were staring in another direction. I turned my head farther.

I could see a group of people that I knew too well. Normally I would be standing there with them but I had been shunned. They were talking about gossip around school, no doubt. Kirsten turned her head, trying to be inconspicuous, but failing. Our eyes met. She looked angry. I think that that was the first time I realized that my life wouldn't be the same as it had been. Kirsten and I wouldn't go to college together, we wouldn't share an apartment, and we wouldn't be together on the front page of the news as to beautiful girls who were discovered to be tomorrows rising stars.

" Are you going to tell me what you want or not?" the cafeteria lady barked. I didn't answer but stepped out of line.

"Are you okay?" he asked as we walked towards his family.

"no." but he didn't question me because we were standing so near to his brother and sisters.

Jill jogged up to me and threw her arms around me with more force than I thought she could have in her. "I am so happy, I can talk to you again!" I put on one of my perfected fake smiles. I was happy that I was able to talk to her again, but I understood that eleven years of talking with Kirsten had gone to waste.

" We were afraid we'd lost you, kid" Triston said.

"You can't call me kid, you're only like three years older than me." They all laughed at that. I didn't know what they found so funny, I was being serious.

"You're pretty cute kid."

"Thanks" I said sarcastically as the bell rang.

"So are you going to sit with me today?"

"Of course not!" I said dramatically. He looked shocked. "I'm just kidding." I added.

When Mrs. Pembry told us to work silently by ourselves I would read a few lines and then look up to meet Rory's eyes gazing at me. My heart would jump. Everything was going from wrong, with a pinch or right, to right with a pinch of wrong. But how much was a _pinch_?

At the end of the period he walked with me to my fourth period class, promising me he wouldn't end up late.

I sat doodling while we were supposed to be reading One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. I couldn't wait to see him after class. When the bell rang I was the first out the door. I ran to the stairs at the back of the building that were seldom used, so I wouldn't get caught in a traffic jam. I didn't know where I was going to find him though. Before I could start to worry, he came into view standing next to my locker. Lucky me that Kirsten wasn't there.

"What are you? My lap dog."

"No, because dogs don't have opposable thumbs to hold your books." He said while taking my books from me. I quickly exchanged them for new ones and then took them back from him. I didn't want to start more rumors by him holding my books.

The cafeteria all was looking furtively as we walked in because I hadn't been there in about a month and I was walking with one of the godliest creatures I had ever seen. I bought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple. He led me to the table where the rest of the Haven's sat.

"Is that all you eat, apples? No wonder you have no fat on you." I blushed and looked down before saying quietly.

"I have a sandwich too."

The conversation didn't stay on one topic for long. It skipped from Elyse being asked out, to annoying teachers, to Jill being asked to be a model at the mall. Eventually and unfortunately the topic became about my old friends.

"They really aren't good people." Jill said

"You should hear the way they talk about people." Elyse said. I knew the way they talked though, and I knew how mean they could be.

Somehow I ignored them long enough for them to find a new topic. But the bell did ring. The day continued pleasantly and when it was over, before I got on the bus, and after I had to refuse a ride about one hundred times. I hugged Rory goodbye. When we did he whispered in my ear.

" I was having more trouble than you'll ever know, trying to stay away from you."

Each day that week followed suit. On Friday I went home with them.

"We're happy you came back." Damien said once we were there. "I am sorry but I have a client that has to be attended to." And he left.

Rory led me through the house. It was enormous. Bigger and nicer than any house that should ever be outside of a magazine.

My favorite room by far was their music room. It had C.D.'s, tapes, records, instruments, everything! I liked music but I just stuck to the radio.

There backyard was surrounded by a large fence. It had a pool and at the back of the fence there was a gate. It led to the hill behind them, which they claimed to own. I didn't really believe them, I didn't know anyone else who could possibly own something as big as a hill.

We spent pretty much the whole weekend together. We played games like hide and go seek ( I know childish, but with such a big family it was fun). For some reason I was always found first, and that thoroughly annoyed me. Sometimes we would all stuff ourselves onto one couch that was an extremely tight fit, and would watch TV.. Triston like to play practical jokes on me a lot, he thought it was hilarious that I always fell for them.

I had never had a friendship like I did with Rory, it was awkward, but perfect. When I was with him I was longing for his touch. Even if it just came from steadying me when I stumbled. In the back of my mind I knew what was happening.

It was why my heart jumped when I saw him. It was why I couldn't help smiling when I was around him. I wasn't falling in love. I already had. I had fallen and broken every bone in my body and would probably never recover.


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

When it happened it was loud and silent at the same time. The hysterics of everyone were silenced by my head trying to understand what had just happened. All I could hear was my breath, even and steady. I was being carried away. The scene I had just witnessed was disappearing faster than I thought possible. But I knew that it would be forever burned into my mind.

It started on the Monday after my weekend with the havens. Well, really it started Tuesday, at lunch. I was sitting at my usual table with Rory, Jill, Elyse and Triston. I was arguing with Rory about whether the remake or original of To Kill a Mockingbird was better. His family gawked at us. I had continued talking when he stopped, figuring I had won. But once finished I could feel the presence of someone else. I looked around. Jonathon was standing right behind me. He asked if he could talk to me for a moment. I followed him just out the doors to the hall.

"So that's who you've been ditching me for?" guilt immediately engulfed me. He had probably sat in the library at lunch waiting for me all last week.

"I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry!" I inhaled deeply but my lungs wouldn't fill with air. I hoped he hadn't felt the same loneliness that I had when my friends left me.

"So, I guess that's who you're going to be spending your lunches with. How about we have one last library lunch? Tomorrow?"

"Of course." I said instantly.

I told this to Rory when I got back.

"He likes you." He said slightly…jealously?

"He should, he's my friend." I said slightly hurt.

"No, I meant he has a crush on you." My cheeks flushed. He was good looking. I knew that a lot of girls had crushes on him. I liked him but not the way I like people I have crushes on.

The next day at lunch I met Jonathon at the library, in the religion section (as always). It was all great until the end.

"I'm going to miss you." He said.

"I'll still be around. I'm not going to disappear off of the face of the earth or anything." He raised an eyebrow.

"I could be." We stood up. He hugged me tightly. It felt well, my small form sheltered by his larger one. He felt warm. It wasn't awkward, except when the thought of him having a crush on me briefly flitted across my mind. I swept it away though.

I missed the bus after school that day. Triston gave me a ride home. Triston drove and Elyse sat in the passenger seat. Rory, Jill, and I were edged in the back. Non e of them would wear their seatbelts no matter how much I scolded them for it. The entire ride Rory and my arms were aligned against each others. His cold skin made my breathing erratic. I knew that I should move my arm away, but I didn't want to. Apparently he didn't either, because he didn't move. I had been setting special boundaries and charts in my head as to when doing what things would be acceptable in our friendship. I didn't want to lose the only friend I had because I had a crush on him.

That night I dreamed about Jonathon. I dreamed that he was happy. He had gotten his grades up. He had hit the homerun at the championship game. We were kissing. He was my boyfriend. When I woke up to the annoying buzz of my alarm clock I was slightly confused. That was the first dream I had had since the one where Jill saved me and Rory left.

It was cold that morning. I stood between Jill and Elyse. We had formed a circle with Triston and Rory on the other side.

"It's going to rain tomorrow, I can tell!" I said excitedly.

"Good job, you watched the weather report this morning." Rory said snidely.

"Yes, but he said it was going to rain on Saturday, I say it is going to rain tomorrow."

"And why is that?"

"It smells like rain." They all looked at each other quizzically then at me like I was going to need to be in a padded room.

Triston closed his eyes and shook his head slowly saying "Kid, sometimes you are just so strange."

"Would you rather I am _normal_?" I sneered at the last word.

I could see Jonathon walking across the main quad, his hands shoved in his pockets. I smiled and waved to him. I thought that when he withdrew his hand from his pocket it was to wave, but he pulled out a sleek metal object I had seen just about everywhere except in real life. A gun.

This is what years of special TV episodes and people who come in and talk to your class in school were supposed to prepare me for. I was supposed to constantly suspect people from what the special visitors told me. I was supposed to look for clues. But I didn't and this is what happened because of it

The first shot he fired into the air was to get people attention, and it did. It was silent at first. Then the whispers erupted. People trying to get their friends to move for cover. Their whispers soon became screams of desperation. The noise of the fun being fired had reminded me of when my mom had slammed my door yesterday morning when I wouldn't get up.

The next he fired was to quiet everyone. Before I truly noticed us (the havens and I) were the only group of people left standing in plain view. I could feel them pushing me to the shelter of something, talking how they needed to leave as fast as they could. Rory was about to carry me away when Jonathon called my name. I looked at him.

"Cassie, would you please come here?" I was in a trance. I could hear Rory

"Cassie, you need to leave with us now!" but I kept walking. I could hear Elyse say as I left

"If she wants to get killed, just let her." When I reached him I was completely unaware of my surroundings.

"What are you doing?" I asked innocently like I really didn't understand what was happening. His eyebrows rose.

"Trying to solve my problems."

"Oh."

"Cassie, I'm leaving. Please come with me."

"Um," was he asking me what I thought he was asking?

"Please" he said the scared sound obvious in his voice. "I need you with me. You make my days worth while. Your not like the other girls here, your not shallow. It would be just like our lunches, but everyday!

"Please, you brought the only light I had into this year. Heaven wouldn't be right without you."

"I don't believe in heaven… or hell." That was true; I didn't believe that there was anything after death.

"I need you I don't care if you don't want to come." He had the gun pointed at me.

"B…b…but" my mouth was dry. Tears were forming in my eyes, threatening to fall. "I'm not ready; my life is just getting started."

"Please don't make me." He said waggling the gun at me. Someone's hand placed itself over the end of the gun; it pushed Jonathon's hand up so it faced the sky, his hand still covering the end of the gun.

"Jonathon, stop. You can take your own life, but not others."

"Don't tell me what to do" Jonathon yelled.

He jerked his hand towards me. Rory jumped on him, pushing him to the ground. The gun went off. I could have sworn Rory's hand was still over it. Rory was pinning Jonathon to the ground. They were both breathing heavily. Rory's eyes could light up a whole room. He was baring his teeth animalistic ally.

He lifted his head to look at me. I could see his body physically relax. I felt weak in the knees. Not because Rory was looking at me (that also) but because I was sure Rory had just been shot in the hand. Jonathon used the time where Rory wasn't pinning him aggressively to the ground to push him off. Jonathon and Rory both got to their feet. Jonathon moved his head to face me.

"You truly are an angel." Then he lifted the gun to his forehead. Before he could pull the trigger I was being carried away by Rory. When the gun went off it wasn't as gruesome as Hollywood portrayals, but it tore my heart.

When it happened it was loud and silent at the same time. The hysterics of everyone were silenced by my head trying to understand what had just happened. All I could hear was my breath, even and steady. I was being carried away. The scene I had just witnessed was disappearing faster than I thought possible. But I knew that it would be forever burned into my mind.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was being taken. I was still being carried. My stomach was churning.

"Stop" I demanded "Damn it, STOP!" Still no one even slowed. I started kicking and screaming, but was held in the steel vice of Rory's arms. He looked down at me, his eyes glowing luminous and somehow pained. Someone said something but it was muffled by the wind to my ears.

"Right, I know, I will." Rory called in reply. He then changed the way he was holding me. He bent my knees so that they were over his shoulder and I was hanging upside down against his back.

My blood was rushing to my head. The world looked different from this point of view. Right now I wished the world was different, that what had just happened hadn't. But I knew that there was know point wishing or hoping because that was now the past.

How could Rory just toss me over his shoulder like that, it was a bit rude. I was having trouble forming a coherent thought. I was suffering from a horrid headache.

Why did he? What about? Who? But I thought?

I couldn't finish a thought, there were too many of them. Surely I was going to throw up any moment, my stomach felt that way. But instead I lost consciousness.

When I came back to life I was sitting on the ground leaning against a toilet bowl. My mouth tasted like I probably had thrown up which would make sense as to where I was. There was a ringing in my ears, someone was rubbing my back to comfort me.

"Are you feeling any better?" Rory soothed.

Turning to him I screeched "You did that on purpose!"

"Did what?"

"You made me pass out by holding me upside down!"

"I'm sorry, I was trying to get you out of there as fast as I could, but you started kicking and screaming and I had to get you to be quiet."

I hadn't been listening since he said 'there'. I knew where he was talking about, what he was talking about. I was crying against my will. I pivoted to face him, looking for comfort. I put my head against his chest and he held me close.

It was an odd picture. We were huddled together on an elegant bathroom floor. I don't know how long we were there but soon I became cold between the tile floor and Rory's frigid body. Why was he always so cold?

"Come on lets get you a blanket."

"No."

"Yes" Jill said as she came in. she took me by my elbow and towed me out of the bathroom, handing me a blanket when we got to the hall. I whimpered as the sun that shone through the windows hurt my eyes. I didn't think that the sun should be shining today, not when someone so close to me died. But I knew that people died very day and that the sun didn't really care about it that much.

Jill lead me to an office that looked like it belonged in a detective movie. Damien was sitting in a chair behind the desk.

"I think that you should call your mom." He told me as he handed me the phone.

I dialed the house, no one picked up.

I dialed my mom's cell phone number.

"Hello Michelle Sunnel designs."

"Hi mom."

"Cassie shouldn't you be in school?" she reprimanded.

"Um, this thing happened in school and everyone was sent home." I didn't know if that was true but that was probably what had happened.

"What happened?" my mother asked urgently.

"I'll tell you when you get home."

"Where are you now?"

"Oh," I was distracted by Jill shoving a piece of paper in front of my nose that said _ tell her you're with me, Jill_ " I'm with my friend Jill."

"Who's Jill?"

" A friend from school."

" How did you meet her?"

"She's Rory's sister. Look mom I've got to go, love you." I said quickly before hanging up. I stood up and Rory, Damien, and Jill stared at me.

"Let's get some food in you before you pass out, again." Jill laughed and I managed a weak smile. I ambled after her down the stairs while Rory watched me cautiously.

I was lead to an immaculate kitchen and handed a plate of food. I didn't even look at what it was. I just ate it.

" You're taking this calmer than I would have expected."

"Well, I realized that once he had decided to do it he wasn't going to let anything stop him." I didn't realize that I thought this true until I said this.

"But didn't you want to stop him?"

"Of course I did," I said slightly offended. "But he was going to kill" it was hard to say that word " himself one way or another and that was how he wanted to do it. I wouldn't have been able to stop him."

Rory had been sitting listening silently, but joined in. "what about what he said to you?"

"Huh?" what did he say to me? It was strange that I didn't notice. I always made a point of saying nice things to people before I left somewhere in case something happened.

Rory's eyebrows rose. "He said 'you truly are an angel'." I snorted.

"I always thought of angels as less bitchy." I paused and my voice turned sad. " I'm glad that he told me that though. I can't believe that I will never hear him speak again, and will never see him again. It's just strange. If I were to see him or hear him it would be a memory, and a memory wouldn't do him justice."

"So," Jill matched my tone " whatever we do today is going to be kind of a downer."

I looked at her vividly gleaming eyes and felt a shot of adrenaline enter my blood stream. I wasn't scared though, I felt safe with them.

"No, I don't want to mourn his death, I want to celebrate his life." I knew that that sounded extremely cliché, but that was what I wanted to do.

"Okay, what do you want to do?"

"I, I don't know. Something fun and exhilarating."

"Since when were you such a 'daredevil?'" Rory asked sarcastically.

I sighed

"One last question before we decide what to do today. Do you really not believe in heaven or hell?"

"No, I don't" I answered curtly.

" Rory, what do you want to do today?" Jill asked to shoo away the tension. Rory exhaled heavily and sat back in his chair.

"No idea."

"Hmm, well I have an idea for tonight, but it is only noon." She said consulting the clock on the wall. The sun filtered to us through the window.

"Well Cassie, what do you think about skydiving?" we all laughed openly at Jill's joke.

Triston joined us in the kitchen. " I didn't know that people laughed while in mourning."

"I'm not mourning, I'm celebrating his life." Triston looked at me nervously after I said this.

"How?"

"We have no idea yet."

"Kid, I am glad you aren't normal."

"How about we hang around the house today until tonight." Rory suggested.

"Fine with me, as long as I have fun tonight."

"Okay then it's settled" Jill announced proudly.

"What are we going to do tonight?" I asked.

"Uh-uh, no way it's a surprise." She said wagging her finger at me.

" Elyse popped her head around the corner. "I heard that you were talking about doing something tonight."

"Yup."

"Ji-ill" Elyse said making the name sound like two syllables. "Tell me!" Jill rolled her eyes but went to Elyse and whispered in her ear, a deviant smile came across her face.

"That's not fair! You told her and not me?"

"You'll get over it." Rory said as he picked me up from the chair and carried me to the living room.

"Show-off" I muttered as he plopped me down on the fluffy cream colored

Couch. "Why do you carry me? Most people don't carry people unless they're hurt."

"What can I say, you're special." I scowled while he smirked. I didn't like praise from my friends, it was always creepy. If I wasn't uncomfortable when he carried me then I was definitely uncomfortable when he complimented me. I flushed a rosy pink.

"I don't think you were scared enough today." Triston was speaking. "We should in fuse some proper fear into you." He said while putting the grudge 2 into the DVD player. I was squished between Rory and Triston on the couch. No one aside from me was screaming. That was fine though, because I was screaming enough for all of them. When I did my face drained of any color and I would yelp and squeeze Rory's hand.

In the middle of the movie Triston got up for what I thought was to use the bathroom. When he came back he was silent and the scary music was playing that tells you something is about to happen. He gripped one icy hand around my throat lightly, and I let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Everyone looked at Triston nervously then berating. Rory jumped up and yelled " Don't scare my girlfriend!"

My face flushed so scarlet I was going clammy. I could see Jill and Elyse's pursed mouths to suppress smiles. And I could feel everyone's eyes boring into my head. I just stared straight ahead. Too embarrassed to move.

"Kiddo, I think you and Rory need to talk." Triston said breaking the silence. I followed Rory in a trance like state down the hall a little.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"For what?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"No."

"Then I'm sorry for saying you were my girlfriend."

"Don't be. It's great to know you care."

"So you will be?"

"I," I didn't know why I shouldn't. I didn't have anymore friends to lose. But something was holding me back. Something that I was only aware of in my subconscious. "I'll think about it."

We walked back into the living room.

"So…?" Jill asked.

"You don't have to tell them, they were listening." Rory scowled.

After the movie we flipped through the channels, avoiding the news. Around four-o-clock Jill and Elyse took me to Elyse's room.

"Are you going to tell me what we are going to do tonight?"

"Yes." Jill said.

"Really?" I asked surprised.

"We're going to a club tonight." Elyse stated. That sounded fun. I knew how to dance and have fun. I was part of group freshman's that got invited to the senior parties. I just had one problem with their plan.

"Jill, Elyse, I'm not exactly wearing club appropriate clothing."

"We noticed." Elyse criticized.

They started walking to a door at the end of the room. "Come here." Jill said. I did when they opened the door it was an immense walk in closet, full of clothing and shoes. "We already have our outfits just pick yours." They closed the door to the closet leaving me enclosed with the many articles of clothing. Once I picked out a skirt I realized I had a second problem.

I opened the door, "Jill, Elyse, I haven't shaved my legs. I don't think I'm going to be wearing a skirt." Jill popped up and pulled me out of the closet. She handed me a can of shaving cream and a disposable razor.

Once I was done shaving and I had picked out an out fit I emerged. But I was sent back when they said that I couldn't wear my converse. I didn't like the idea of wearing high heels but knew that they wouldn't let me go with converse.

Finally done I left the closet. I was wearing a low cut black tight spaghetti strap tank top that had embroidery down the v neck with an audaciously small denim miniskirt. I had on red high heels that had a ribbon that wrapped around my ankles and had a bow in the front.

Jill and Elyse both looked amazing! They were more gorgeous than any supermodels. They were in front of the mirror doing make up. I was instructed to look through magazines until I found a look that I liked.

They did my make-up better than I could have. My eye shadow was black and gold that was subtly blended and I had pale pink blush on. They wanted to put lipstick on me but I refused. They did my hair in tousled waves. I had never felt this good. I was surprised to find that when we were finished it was a little past six.

Rory and Triston met us at the ground floor. They both wore dark wash jeans and button down shirts. Triston's shirt was black and short sleeved and contrasted phenomenally with his skin tone. Rory's was white and long sleeved, but he had the sleeves pushed up to just before his elbow.

We all walked to the car and hopped in. I was happy to be in the back in the middle. I didn't have a perspective to see just how fast we were going. It wasn't until we crossed the golden gate bridge that I had become confused.

"Where are we going?"

"To a club."

"You mean like a real club?" I had thought that we were going to go to a teen club in Marin.

"Yes." Said Elyse like it was obvious.

"I don't have an I.D."

"That's okay, just play along when we get there." Triston told me.

We pulled into a garage in front of a nice club. When we approached the bouncer he asked, "are you all 18?"

"Yes" we all replied.

"May I see I'd.?" they all handed him one in turn. When it was my turn Triston spoke for me.

"She's visiting from Canada and we surprised her with bringing her here, she forgot to bring I.D." the bouncer looked from me to Triston.

"Please?" Elyse asked. The bouncer was stunned.

"Oh...Of course" he paused "just remembers I.D. next time."

Once inside the temperature had gone up about twenty degrees. I was very surprised that I passed for eighteen. Jill squeezed my hand lightly. "Let's go dance!" and then I was dragged into the swarms of people.

After a good hour and a half of dancing I needed to sit down. Elyse said she would come with me. When I sat down she left then returned with a glass of alcohol. She tried to hand it to me.

"I don't drink." I told her.

"It's one drink, you'll be okay."

"I don't drink." I repeated. This was true I never drank if someone handed me a drink at a party I would refuse or dump it somewhere when they weren't looking.

"Triston isn't drinking because he is driving, but I think it will help you relax a bit."

"You're corrupting me" I informed her as I took the large glass from her. I took a drink from it. It felt warm even though the glass was cold. I finished it before going back to the dance floor.

Before I knew it I had my body pressed up against Rory's and was dancing shamelessly with him. I looked into his eyes while the DJ was changing a song. I don't know what had compelled me to do it but I went on my tippy-toes and kissed him. It was like our last kiss, neither of us opened our mouths but it was still really passionate. I was reminded of my dream of kissing Jonathon. It was strange to think that that happened less than twenty-four hours ago. Was it wrong to be thinking about Jonathon while I was kissing Rory? Was it wrong to be kissing Rory when I wasn't sure what to do about the stability of our relationship? I didn't want to think about it. Any ways ignorance is bliss.


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

He pushed me back.

"Cassie your drunk."

"No I'm not, I only had one drink."

"You're drunk."

"So you don't want to kiss me?" I whimpered.

"No, not when you're like this. You probably don't even know if you want to kiss me."

I looked up at him from under my lashes as seductively as I could.

"Jill, it's time to go, get Triston. I'll deal with Elyse." He called over his shoulder.

"What? I don't want to go yet!" I whined.

"Too bad, we're leaving." He said as he pushed me lightly towards Triston and Jill.

"Will you two take her to the car please?" he said passing me to Triston while he walked towards Elyse. Triston's hand was on my back guiding me out of the club. When we passed the bouncer outside he looked at us suspiciously.

"Jeez kid, how much did you drink? You reek of alcohol. What did you drink?"

"I donknow Elyse gave it t'me" I slurred. I yawned widely. "I'm tired."

"Okay, hop in the back while we wait for the others." Triston said as he and Jill sat in the front. I was sitting in the middle but leaning to my left so my head was resting on the door.

"m'sorry" I said. "'s my fault we haddo leave."

"It's all right kid, just relax."

"m'kay." I said already half asleep. I must have drifted to sleep, because seconds later I was woken by the door I was leaning on opening. I didn't fall out though because a hand was cradling my head as somebody slipped into the seat next to me. It was Rory, I would know his smell anywhere. I snuggled my head up against his chest. It was much preferred over the door. I could feel myself smiling as I slumbered next to him.

I was dreaming.

_The dream I was sitting in a small clearing next to a creek. There was sun filtering through the trees overhead._

_Rory was standing next to Damien. The rest of his family was a few feet back. Rory sat down next to me._

"_I love you." He told me. Without thinking I replied back._

"_I love you too."_

"_Are you sure?" he asked me._

"_Yes, are you?"_

"_Yes, which is why I'm nervous about doing this."_

"_I'm not nervous, this is what I want." I told him. My dream was unfolding in front of me. I couldn't stop myself from saying anything or doing anything. I was watching it happen and I couldn't change it, but I was watching it through my own eyes._

_He leaned towards me and kissed me between my neck and jaw bone. It felt wonderful. Then when pain erupted where his lips were I woke up._

I was very tense. I was gripping the blankets that were covering me tightly. I slowly opened my eyes to find my surroundings. But I jammed them shut out of surprise when I saw Rory staring at me.

Where was I? The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in the car last night. Was I still in the car? No, I was in a bed. Oh. My. G-d. Did I sleep with him?!?

My eyes shot open. We were in his room. He was still staring at me. He lay on top of the covers. I sat up. I was still clothed, that was good.

"Morning sleeping beauty." He chuckled. "Sleep well?"

"Um, I guess." I cleared my throat. I was suffering from a migraine. "Oh no, what time is it? We're going to be late for school."

"No, they canceled school today due to …" I knew what it was due to and I was glad that he didn't say it. It made everything so much more real. I relaxed.

"Does my mom know I'm here?"

"Yes, Melanie called her last night and asked if it was okay that you had a sleep over with Jill. She also explained what happened yesterday."

"Oh."

I probably looked bad. I had gotten drunk then fallen asleep with about two pounds of makeup on. Not only that but I probably had morning breath.

"I'm guessing that you want to clean up. The bathroom is right there." He said pointing to a second door in his room. " Jill will lend you some clothes when you get out."

"Thanks." I said about to push the covers off.

" You might want to wait until I leave the room before you get up in case your skirt has ridden up." He said grabbing my hand to stop me from removing the blanket. He got up and left. I was thankful that he had left before I got up, because me skirt had ridden up.

I adjusted it then went to the bathroom and closed the door. The bathroom was nearly identical to the one I had been in yesterday. I pulled the knob and hot water instantly poured out. I got out of my clothes and into the shower. After standing there fro a few minutes I noticed that I would have to use his shampoo. I hoped he didn't mind. It smelled good but not as good as the real Rory did. After rinsing I turned the shower off and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel. I cracked the door open and was about to call for Jill, but I could hear people talking in another room.

I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it.

"Well, in vino veritas( for those who don't know that means in wine there is truth)." I heard Elyse say.

"You are so sadistic Elyse, I already knew. All you did was embarrass her." I heard Rory say. I heard a door slam from somewhere and the talking stopped.

"Jill?" I called. She was walking through the door seconds later. She handed me undergarments and a white t shirt with lime green sweat pants from Victoria 's Secret. I went back in the bathroom to change. When I came out she was still standing there. I had left my hair down to dry and it was slightly dampening the back of the shirt.

"Guess what?" Jill asked.

"What?"

"It's raining."

"So?"

"You said it would."

"Oh, I forgot that." Jill's eyes were there normal green rather than glowing.

"Rory's around here somewhere, you should find him." She said while walking out the door.

She had left my clothes from yesterday on the desk. I went over to get them, but sat down instead. I wondered what my mother would think if she knew I had spent the night in Rory's bed. Not that anything happened, I was sure of that. I ran my fingers over the bindings of the books on his desk.

All the books were very old. I wondered where he had gotten them. Why hadn't he just bought new ones?

Rory had changed so much since before I left for camp. He looked different. He acted different. He even had a different family. He didn't act like a normal sixteen-year-old. A normal sixteen-year-old wouldn't have stopped me from kissing them last night. A normal sixteen year old probably would have taken advantage of me spending the night in his bed.

Rory wasn't normal. I didn't mean how I wasn't normal, I meant he wasn't normal like… well I couldn't relate it to anything but he was different on a deeper level than just being more mature.

That was something that my subconscious was trying to tell me. It also told me I should be afraid of them, but I wasn't. I didn't ever feel this safe with anyone else. I felt my mind nagging me to question them and I gave in. I wracked my brain for everything that had happened recently that I could consider strange.

1)why was he always so cold?

2)why did his eyes change color? They really did not just like when people say their eyes change but whatever they are wearing makes a certain color in there eyes stand out more.

3)how could he run so fast, and while carrying me? He was probably the fastest runner in the world. We had been about 100 yards away from the scene yesterday before I had even known he picked me up.

4)why were he and his family so beautiful and perfect? Well, that was probably just luck but I added it to my imaginary list anyways.

5) The strangest of all, why did he like me? He was so perfect. I was so dull.

I was brought back to the real world by a clap of thunder. I could hear the quiet hum of a guitar, and decided to follow it.

The sound led me down stairs and to the hall where the music room was. The door was just barely open. I peeked in. Rory was sitting on a stool strumming a guitar. His hand flowed over the stings effortlessly but the sound it produced was magical.

His hand. Another strange thing to add to my list. I thought that it had been shot yesterday, but he was obviously fine.

I pushed the door open, letting myself in.

"That's really pretty." I told him. He looked up at me and smiled warmly.

"It's raining." he told me.

"Yes, I realized." I paused "how's your hand?" I asked. He looked surprised. I walked over to Rory and stood in front of him.

"Um, fine."

"You know, I could have sworn it got shot yesterday" I said alerting him to my suspicions.

"Hmm, that's strange." He said returning to play the guitar.

"You're different." I told him. He stopped playing but the thrum of the last chord still echoed through the room.

"How so?"

"I'm not sure. You're different than you used to be, but you and your family are also different than anybody I've ever met."

"I know." He murmured so quietly I was almost sure it wasn't for my ears to hear.

"Why?"

"Because…" he was about to tell me something infinitely important I could tell. But he stopped himself.

"Because?" I prompted.

"Because I wasn't wanted anywhere else." I didn't understand his answer.

"Whatever you are not telling me you should. What are you afraid of?"

He went back to strumming his guitar. I walked behind him and did something that I thought might get him to tell me. I put my head to his. My lips were only about a millimeter away from his ear.

"Please?" I whispered softly. The sound of the guitar stopped as the strings snapped. I stiffened, but didn't move. Neither did he.

Elyse came to the doorway. We moved away from each other.

"Is everything okay? Rory, mom made Cassie and _you_ some hot chocolate." Elyse informed us.

"Thanks Elyse, we'll go get it in a moment." She left us. Rory stood stiffly. He turned to me. His eyes looked like a newly cracked glow stick. I wondered why his were always like that and the others only occasionally. "You shouldn't have done that. It could have been you I broke instead of those strings." He warned me. It was an empty warning though, I felt too safe with him for it to hit home I my mind.

I followed him to the kitchen where two steaming mugs sat on the counter. I picked one up and sipped it absentmindedly. He didn't touch his.

"I'm sorry for how I acted last night." He smiled, probably at the memory. I had acted extremely foolishly.

"It's quite all right." He told me. I smiled at him and we both laughed.

"Want to go outside and enjoy the first rain of the season?"

"Sure, why not." I followed him to the back yard where we sat on the veranda. I put my mug down on the steps next to where I sat. We stared at the overcast sky and the water plummeting to the ground.

I shivered. He put his arm around me in a friendly gesture to keep me warm. I did feel warm, inside, even though his ice like touch penetrated my pale skin. It felt good.

The rain was calling my name. I released myself from his grip and dashed out to the middle of the backyard. Of course though, because I was me I slipped. And because Rory was Rory he was there faster than any _human_ could possibly be to catch me. He wrapped two hands around my waist to steady me.

The rain was plastering my hair to my head, and the clothes Jill had lent me were already soaked through. I turned to face him. He looked gorgeous.

"I've made my decision." I stated. The confusion was obvious on his face. "I would love to be your girlfriend."

As the rain dripped down our faces, I watched Rory smile. For some reason his eyes looked like he was struggling with something. I could feel a drop of water sliding down the bridge of my nose. He wrapped one of his arms around my lower back. The droplet of water had traveled to the edge of my upper lip. He raised his hand, and with his index finger, brushed it away. I felt my heart flutter. He left his hand resting on my cheek. My breath was coming at random. He was leaning down. This was the first kiss we would have where we were both consenting.

But Rory didn't kiss me. He leaned over and pressed his cheek against mine. Though a kiss was what was to be expected at a moment like this, this was better. The cold skin of his cheek made mine burn like the sun.

He pulled away, as he did he inhaled and exhaled slowly. His breath lingered on my face. I didn't know that it was possible for someone's breath to smell so good. It was sweet, not minty, like toothpaste.

"Rory Haven! Get her onside right now, before she catches a cold!" Melanie ordered from the back veranda. Both of our heads turned. The whole family was on the porch; Triston's arm was snaked around Jill's waist, Elyse was leaning against the banister, Damien stood next to Melanie, whose hands were placed on her hips.

We both turned to walk to the house. About two feet away from the porch steps I slipped. But (ever ready) Rory caught me. The family laughed. I naturally blushed.

Once safely on the steps, Triston stood in front of me.

"Kid, you be good to my little brother."

"I'll be sure to do that." I told him.

Jill grabbed my arm and tugged me into the house.

"Hey" Rory objected. "She's been mine for less than five minutes and she already gets taken away from me."

"We have _girl_ things to talk about." She told him.

Jill took me to her second floor room. She was about to sit on the bed, but assessed my soaked body the n led me to her bathroom. I sat on the edge of the tub.

"Tell me everything." She demanded as soon as the door was safely closed.

At first it was slightly awkward. I hadn't talked to anyone like this since Kirsten. But I liked talking to Jill, she was a good listener and knew exactly what to say. There was a knock on the door. We opened it. It was Damien, he handed me a phone.

"Hello?" I asked confused.

"Hi Hun how are you?" my mother asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine."

"I was hoping you would be home soon."

"Okay mom, I am home soon."

"All right, I love you"

"Love you mom bye."

Then I hung up

"My mom wants me home." I told Jill.

"All right, I'll go get Rory to drive you home."

"Hey Jill?" I said as she was about to leave the room. "Want to sleep over tonight?" I thought that if she grinned any wider her cheeks would rip.

"I'd love to, I just have to ask my parents."

"Okay" I said as she zoomed out of the room.

Rory strolled into the room while she was gone.

"I doubt you'll get a wink of sleep tonight." He told me. I bit down on my plump lower lip to stop myself from cheering for joy, he was finally mine. He walked me down stairs. I didn't know how his family had the patience to walk up and down these stairs everyday. Jill was waiting for me at the door.

"When you get home ask your mom about the sleepover, I'll probably be there around nine." Jill told me.

"Okay." I chirped. It felt like it had been ages since I had had a sleepover.

As Rory drove me home at an absurdly fast speed my heart was dropping. He would have to leave, I wouldn't see him until tomorrow. Tomorrow.

"Um.. What exactly are we supposed to do tomorrow, go on a date?"

"I guess that is what we're supposed to do now." Rory's cashmere voice made _we're_, as in both of us together, sound even better than if anyone else had said it.

"Is that what we're doing tomorrow?"

"Along those lines, it'll be a surprise." I loved surprises. I loved the antsy feeling. I used to always beg my mom for a surprise birthday party then she would have to explain that it wouldn't be a surprise if I was asking for one.

We had pulled up to my house. I was happy that the windows of the car were tinted, it meant my mother wouldn't freak that I was with an underage driver. Even though he would be 16 in a week.

I didn't really know what to do now, I had never had a real boyfriend. Sure I had dated but this was the start of more than just dating.

"What do we do now?"

"Well, you could take me inside and have your mother pester me about my intentions."

"I believe I will save that for when my father is here."

We both laughed. The shock factor of Rory and I being a couple would probably give my mother a heart attack. We used to be asked by everyone if we were a couple, from parents to the lady who sold movie tickets in the mall.

As for my dad, he was an archeologist. My parents had divorced when I was five. He

Traveled around the world a lot, mostly looking in caves for ancient bones. I spent my time with him whenever he was in town. Even though I rarely saw him I felt a stronger connection to him than I did to my mom. People told me I looked a lot like a girl version of him when he was younger. He was the only person in my family aside from me who was pale( though it was probably from not seeing the light, caused from his work) I had also gotten my blue eyes from him.

I turned to Rory and hugged him awkwardly because I was still buckled in to the car. I unbuckled and was about to get out.

"I'll be back when I drive Jill over later." He told me

"Cant Jill drives herself?" I asked then continued, I hadn't meant to sound rude. " Not that

I don't want to see you I was just wondering about her being able to drive."

He faked a pout. " So you don't want me to drive her?"

"No! I want you to drive her." I said too quickly.

He laughed. I got out of the car, "I'll see you soon." He said then drove off.

I walked up the steps and opened the door, where I was immediately enveloped in a hug by my mother. She was crying.

"I'm so glad you are all right."

"I'm just fine mom." I was more than fine, I was marvelous.

"I saw the video of what happened on TV! I can't believe my baby was held at gunpoint." She was hysterical.

"Mom, really I'm okay." I assured her.

"You're soaking wet." She noted.

"Yea I got caught in the rain"

"Why don't you go dry off." I was already walking down the hall, I turned to say something though.

"Can Jill spend the night here?"

"I thought you spent last night with her."

"I did." I lied. "But she's really helping me through this."

"All right, when is she going to be here? Will she have dinner with us?"

"I don't think so, she's coming at nine."

"okay." she said. Then I escaped to the bathroom. I stripped off my sopping clothes, and wrapped a towel around my self to dry off. I went to my room and picked out my comfiest lounge clothes.

My mother opened my door when I was done. She handed me a bowl of spaghetti-o's ( the only canned soup I would eat). She smiled at me sweetly. I didn't buy it for a second. I knew she was about to try and pry into my life.

"Mom, I really don't feel like talking."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I said curtly.

"Fine." She said like an annoyed child, and she walked out the door. I collected all of my dirty clothes, including the soaking one's that belonged to Jill, and did a load of wash.

I sat on the washing machine reading a book. I was having trouble concentrating. Every few words I would end up just staring blankly at the page. Aside from the fact that Rory was now my boyfriend I was hung up that he had admitted to me that he was different.

When Rory drove Jill to the house they both came to the door. When I heard a knock I ran to it like a child on Christmas morning, and threw the door open.

"You do realize how embarrassing it would be if it wasn't us?" Jill giggled. Rory was holding her sleeping back and bag. Jill's arms were ladled with movies and games.

The night passed quicker than I thought it would. Rory was right. I didn't get a wink of sleep. There were two things that I marked as strange over the night. The first was when we watched the notebook she cried but didn't have any tears. She said she was probably dehydrated, but when I asked if she wanted water she said no. The second was that at four in the morning when I got ice cream she insisted she dint wants any.

In the morning I had circles under my eyes to match the haven families, they always looked like they had stayed up all night. We were still awake at ten when Rory called my house. He told me to wear warm clothes and to be ready by 11:30.

That was easy. I wore a pair of light wash jeans with a blue and red striped long sleeve shirt, with a black sweatshirt over top. I thought about how I still had Rory's sweatshirt. I had managed to get the smoothie stains out of it, and I had it folded neatly in my sock drawer. I thought I should give it to him, but I really wanted to keep it. I knew that I would give it to him though.

When Rory showed at 11:30 I left a message with my mom's cell and told he if she needed to get hold of me I had my own. I took Rory's sweatshirt out of the drawer but when I handed it to him he told me I could keep it. Though I put on a show that he needed it I secretly rejoiced.

When we arrived at the house I followed Jill towards it, but Rory redirected me to walk around the back. He led me to the backyard over their hill all the way into a small forest. It sloped downward until I could see a creek.

"Is this the same creek that runs next to the park?"

"Yes." He said but kept walking. The ground was sand and gravel with a few tufts of grass. The farther we walked the more grass covered the ground. Eventually the ground was completely grass running up to where the creek started. He stopped so did I . I knew we were there because of the picnic blanket on the grass.

This place looked eerily familiar. I sat down and surveyed my surroundings. This was the same place as my last dream had taken place. The differences were that Rory's family wasn't there and the sky was overcast, so not lighter filtered through the trees.

"What are we going to do?" I asked as he sat on the blanket with me.

"What, I can't just enjoy spending time with my girlfriend?" I was relishing in how he had called me his girlfriend.

"Of course you can." I said as I lay down on my back. I closed my eyes and put my hands behind my head. After a few minutes of silence Rory spoke.

"Are you asleep?"

"If I am you shouldn't expect me to answer you." He laughed. It was beautiful and melodic. I opened my eyes to see he had lain down also. "Why, are you?"

"Nope."

"Good." I said as I scooted closer to him and put my head on his chest so my ear was pressed over his heart.

Aside from the birds chirping, the flowing of the river, and the wind ion the tree's a sound was missing. As recognition swam to the surface of my mind I shot bolt upright.

"You don't have a heartbeat." I said. It wasn't that it was just quiet, it was that his heart wasn't pumping.

He didn't say anything, but looked down abashed.

"Would you care to elaborate to me on how you are _different_?"

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

"No I can't, not unless you want to end up dead, and I certainly don't want that." He said taking a stern tone.

"Would you kill me?" my voice didn't reveal the panic I felt, but my heart was far past a healthy speed.

"No, I would protect you as best I could. I just wouldn't stand a chance."

"Why don't you think you can be my hero?" I said tauntingly trying to lighten the mood.

"Because it's not in my nature to _save humans_." The mood wasn't lighter in the least.

"Save humans? So you're not human?"

He didn't answer but I knew I was correct.

"So you don't save them, does that mean you're dangerous?"

"Yes."

"So what are you?" I asked searching my brain for all the creatures from any horror movie I had ever seen. "A were wolf, ghost, warlock, vampire?" I said again joking.

"Yes definitely one of those." He said sarcastically, but there was an edge to his voice.

"Please just tell me, it couldn't ever change the way I feel about you." That was the conclusion of our conversation. We sat there for a long while. When he got up I did to. He led me home, continuing in the direction we had started.

When I opened the door to my house it was silent. "There's a surprise for you in your room." Rory said from behind me. I turned to look at him.

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you, it'll ruin the surprise."

"Fine." I said walking to my room. When I opened my door I didn't notice anything at first. I looked at my whole room. Then I saw it. There was a banner draped across my window. In big letters it read 'will you go to homecoming with me?'. I turned to face the wonderfully beautiful god who graced me with his presence.

He was holding a perfect white rose. It was in full bloom and it looked like it was photo shopped to look so amazing.

"I wouldn't dream of going with anyone else." He handed me the rose. One of the thorns pricked my finger. I instantly thought of sleeping beauty and wondered if I was about to fall asleep. I raised my hand to look at it. I watched as the pea sized drop of thick burgundy liquid dropped from my finger on to one of the perfect petals, forever a blemish to its beauty.

I popped the finger in my mouth to stop it from bleeding. I looked to Rory who had been silent the whole time. He was gripping the door frame with so much intensity I thought it would crumble.

"Are you okay?" I asked

"Yes, I just need to sit outside for a moment." I looked at him quizzically. "Why don't you get a vase, I'll be okay." I watched as he left my room to go outside.

I walked into the kitchen I pulled a chair up to the cupboard so I could reach the vases that were up high. There were a lot of vases. I closed my eyes to concentrate on why he had acted so strange. Had I done something? I opened my eyes and reached for a vase but apparently closing my eyes had messed with my balance. I fell backwards but was caught by Rory.

"Let's not have anymore of your blood spill today." He said. It looked like he wasn't breathing and his eyes looked like freshly polished emeralds. He set me on my feet.

"I have to leave." He told me

"What if I don't want you to leave?"

"I'll be back sooner than you think."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He cupped his hand around the side of my neck, smiled, and left. I walked to my room forgetting about the rose completely. I took down the banner so my mom wouldn't get suspicious.

I sat at my desk doing nothing for a while. Eventually I decided to look through some old photo albums. I picked one out. The cover said FRIENDS! I knew that this one spanned the time from sixth grade to the current. I absently flicked past the first couple of pages until I reached the time where Rory and Kirsten had been going out. Most of the book was littered with pictures of Kirsten and me, a few were scattered in of our other friends but mostly us. There were a few of Rory and me, from the time when we had been just friends.

I stared at one in particular. It had been the background that caught my attention. Kirsten stood glaring at me with the same hatred she used now. She had a bad case of red eye, but in this photo it suited her. The picture was a close up of Rory and me making funny faces.

The differences between Rory then and Rory now were painfully obvious. His bone structure had changed, now it was more angular, adult like, and handsomer. He was much paler now. Possibly the biggest difference though was his eyes. I knew that I had remembered them being different, they had been blue, not like mine steelier.

The rest of the day was boring and uneventful. That night I had a simple dream, Rory and I sat in the same clearing as we had today and I told him how different he was.

The next day I had to call the haven's to tell them I couldn't hang out because my mom brought me to one of her clients' parties.

The school week started again. The counselor approached just about everyone in the school and me about five times. But I wouldn't go talk to him, I doubt he even knew Jonathon's name before this. On Tuesday my mom told me that my dad would be in town the whole first week of November and I would be spending the week at his house. On Wednesday Jill reminded me that homecoming was also Rory's birthday. She also told me that he had already bought me a dress. I found that odd and told him I didn't want him buying me things but he didn't really care.

Thursday was Jonathon's funeral. Almost the whole school showed up. I wondered if any of them really understood what his life had been like.

Friday was really great. At school I wished Rory a happy birthday about 5million times. He had told me that if I bought him anything he wouldn't accept it, so I made him something. I used the picture of us from my scrapbook (placed so you couldn't see Kirsten) and a picture that Jill had taken of us in the rain on Saturday. I put them in a nice frame that we had in the house that I thought my mother wouldn't miss.

After school Jill and Elyse did my makeup. They handed me a large box when I was done and shoved me in the closet. I opened it and there was a beautiful red dress. The dance was semi formal. The dress was a halter . The fabric pulled tight under my bust then, flowed to just above my knee. Also in the box was a pair of red heels that had a black bow on the toe. I had to admit that for a guy Rory had a good eye for clothing.

When I met Rory on the ground floor he looked divine.

The dance was like any other. We went to a party afterwards. Rory and I traded the loud music inside the house that smelled like alcohol to sit in the girl's backyard. Rory was sitting on a wooden swing hanging from a tree with me on his lap. Though tonight had been mostly boring it had been perfect because of whom I was with. Without thinking I blurted out.

"I love you." I had a short pause. " It's okay if you don't love me, I just wanted you to know ho I felt about you."

He nuzzled his lips to the spot right behind my ear "I love you too." He said, my heart fluttered. He took a long pause. I waited patiently.

"I'm a vampire." He whispered.


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

I thought this over; it was an unusual thing to process. For some reason I didn't doubt him. I had never believed in such things before, but now I did. My first thoughts were of our previous conversation.

"_So what are you?" I asked searching my brain for all the creatures from any horror movie I had ever seen. "A were wolf, ghost, warlock, vampire?" I said again joking._

"_Yes definitely one of those." He said sarcastically, but there was an edge to his voice._

He had told me the truth right there. I had told him that I wouldn't care. And I didn't, it would be stupid if I left him for that. All that would do would be making me miserable. I wanted to show him that I didn't care. I leaned in and kissed him hard on the lips, but never parted them.

An earsplitting snap brought me back to the real world. I noticed that I was standing on my feet. I saw the swing dangling limply from one chain, the other broken in two. I could hear Rory curse under his breath.

"Why would you do that!?"

"I wanted to show you that I didn't care what you are." I answered meekly.

"By what? Having me kill you?" he paused. I could feel hot tears building in my eyes. I turned my head up to the sky hoping gravity would push them back into my head. The twinkling stars were beginning to blur from the water. I brought my head down and felt the tears drop. "Are you crying?" I didn't answer. I saw his arm reach out to me, then waver. "Let's get back to my house, to talk about _this_." he said while leading me inside. He held my hand as to keep me from getting separated from him. My heart fluttered.

"What? No 'I'm so sorry, I'd never do anything to hurt you'." Sneered a disgustingly familiar voice. I stopped, or tried to. Rory was still dragging me towards the door. I tried to pry my hand from his grip but he didn't let go. Did he not realize?

"Rory stop." I whispered ever so silently. He did. He let go of my hand, and I turned to face the girl.

I had never known anyone as manipulative as her. She could make someone do anything she wanted; make someone sneak out of their room, get the attention of everyone, even get someone to buy a bar of chocolate.

"No groveling for forgiveness? No, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry'." Kirsten mocked, her voice dripping with venom.

As the saying goes, the gloves were off now, I didn't care if I hurt her feelings.

"No, because I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry it happened or that you saw. The only thing I am sorry for is that you are such a lying, hypocritical, fake bitch." With that I turned on my heel grabbed Rory's hand and walked as fast as I could out of there. I squeezed Rory's hand to move faster. I was afraid that she might come running after me.

I could see the door, and soon enough we were coming through it. The cold night air calmed my nerves.

Rory picked me up in his arms. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm taking you to my house." He replied.

"I believe that is what the car is for. And I can walk to the car myself."

He laughed. "The car is only for keeping away suspicion, I'm going to show you how much more fun traveling is for me."

That worried me. The only other thing I could think of was he was going to turn into a bat.

"No, I'm not going to turn into a bat." He said answering my unasked question.

"Are you sure?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes, are you ready?"

"I'd be able to give you a proper answer if I knew what we were about to do. What am I supposed to be ready for?"

"This." He replied simply. Then he took off sprinting. We were moving about as fast as a rocket ship. We were moving too fast for me to even see blurs of color. I would never think his driving was fast again. He slowed when we neared his street. But he didn't put me down. He carried me to his house up the stairs (thankfully) and to his room where he set me on the bed. "I'll be back in a moment." He told me before he disappeared. Had he run again? But he was back before I could think it over. He had been serious when he said a moment.

"What was that?" I asked perplexed.

"I had to tell Damien that I told you and that you were here."

"Does he know what you are?" I asked. Rory laughed fully, as if it were common knowledge. How was I supposed to know that he did?

"Yes, my whole family knows, in fact they are all vampires." My expression didn't change.

"Oh." That was oddly believable. I could see them being vampires.

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO FEEL SAFE, I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DO!!!!" he yelled. I shuddered at his tone. Yes I felt safe, but that was no reason for him to yell at me. Wait, I didn't tell him that I felt safe, how did he know?

"I never _said_ I felt safe." I stated. Rory froze like a statue. "So how did you know?"

He was still frozen.

"I…I guess that is where I'll start explaining." He sat down next to me on the bed.

"I knew because I could hear your subconscious, or rather maybe it would be easier to explain if I said I could see it or feel it. I'm not sure. You see along with other traits, as a vampire everything gets stronger. Sometimes one of your traits that are intensified is like power or a 'gift'."

"So what exactly is your gift?" I asked impatiently.

"I'm getting there. My gift is seeing peoples subconscious. I can see what they are thinking, but it's the thoughts that are in the very back of your head that you don't realize you have nor can you really control them. Your subconscious is also people's dreams, so I can see those."

"Does everyone in your family have a 'gift'?"

"No, Melanie and Elyse don't, not one that is like a power."

"And what are Damien, Jill, and Triston's power?"

"Damien's power is to read minds. To see what you are thinking, like a psychic."

"I bet that's helpful as a lawyer."

"Yes, he chose that job because he can rightfully put those who choose to make themselves monsters where only monsters belong. Jill's power is strange. It isn't the average power; most of our traits that are intensified are to help us hunt but Jill's power is to heal, why she would ever want to heal her prey I don't understand." He paused. "Triston's power is persuasion. It's more of a mental thing though. For example, the day in the cafeteria that you slapped Lena , he used his power to persuade everyone in the room that the fight never happened. He tried to persuade you also while you slept then again when you woke, but it didn't work. Which left us to have to convince you ourselves that that never happened. In fact apparently, I'm the only one whose powers work on you."

"Um, about that, can you see _my entire_ subconscious, like _all_ of my dreams?" I asked nervously.

"Yes." He said then looked at me. I blushed deep burgundy. "Oh" he said understanding why I had blushed. "You're a fifteen year-old girl, you're supposed to think thoughts like that." If he meant that to make me feel better it didn't my face didn't lighten in color even a shade. Once I had regained composure I asked the question that was gnawing at my insides.

"What did you mean you're… prey?"

He inhaled deeply before answering. "Well, it is in our nature to feed off of _human_ blood. I guess that you could compare it to you being a vegetarian, we drink _animal_ blood instead. Does that disgust you?"

"No, because I don't eat meat because I don't need to I have other options, while the animal is your other option." He gave me a small half smile. "So do you not eat normal food?"

"Depends what you call normal, but in your definition of 'normal' no."

"Hmm, well were you born a …a vampire?"

"No, that is impossible. It is impossible because once you are changed your body shuts down, your hair stops growing, your blood stops flowing, your organs shut down. It would be impossible for two vampires to make a baby."

"Then how did you get like this?"

"I was changed."

"Yes, but how, and when?"

"I was changed in early august. As for how, I was bitten. When a vampire bites a human it is usually to kill, but just in case venom is injected into the human so if they do get away they will be changed."

"In early august? I thought your family left you here in late august."

"Well, I lied. I had to leave them so I convinced them that I hated them and never wanted to see them again. They let me comeback and they stayed."

"Why were you telling me that I shouldn't feel safe?"

"Are you joking?" he asked seriously.

"No."

"Because there is always the chance that I will slip up and bite you, you're trusting me too much, it could happen very easily."

"But I thought that you drink animal blood."

"Yes, but it isn't in your nature to eat meat like it is to for me to drink blood, so you can resist. I not drinking human blood am like you… like you not breathing, it's hard nearly impossible. Sometimes you will slip up and take a breath."

"I still don't get it, why do you want blood?"

"Well, blood has a certain scent, everyone's is different. Maybe it is because since we have no blood to sustain us we need it from others."

"What did you mean by a scent?"

"Well our ability to smell has intensified when we became vampires, and we can pick up smells in things like blood."

"What does it smell like," I paused "iron?"

"No, it's more like flowers or fruit or spices."

"Spices?"

"Like cloves or cinnamon."

"Right, well what do I smell like?"

"Honeysuckle." He answered simply.

"Okay." I didn't remember what honeysuckle smelled like. "Do I smell good?"

"Yes, too good."

"How can I smell too good?"

"Your smell puts you in danger with me and my whole family, we all might slip up."

"Have you ever… ever almost bitten me?" I was staring into his eyes, bright and glowing.

"Yes." He answered pained.

"When?"

"Almost every time I'm with you, but the time I came the closest was the Saturday after you slapped Lena , when I ended up kissing you."

"Was it hard when you kissed me?"

"Yes, I didn't want to but I had to." I felt my heart drop and the tears start to come. "No, it wasn't that I didn't want to kiss you it was that I didn't want to because I was afraid I would hurt you."

"What did you mean you _had_ to kiss me?"

"Maybe it happened too quickly for you to notice, but I stopped at your neck, I was so close to biting you, but then I knew that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I lost you and it was my fault. I had to kiss you so you wouldn't freak out that I pinned you to the headboard the almost ripped your neck in half."

"Well that's a cheerful topic." I said sarcastically. "I don't want to make me being with you any harder, but how will I know if I'm doing anything wrong?"

"I guess you won't really. Usually when a vampire is hungry upset or is around open blood there eyes glow. But I'm so attracted to your blood that mine glow continuously when I'm around you."

"Your eyes, they used to be blue."

"I know. You've heard the saying you are what you eat. Well, it's like that. A vampire's eyes are blue if they have in them or drink human blood. They are blue, because blue eyes suggest innocence. If you drink animal blood you don't need to look innocent of anything so they are green. When I was first changed my eyes stayed blue because I had human blood in me but once I drank animal blood they turned green."

"This may sound stupid, but do you sleep in a coffin?"

"You realize that you are sitting on a bed don't you?"

"I was just asking."

"Well, I shouldn't have been so rude; I guess your reasoning makes sense. This bed is really just a prop."

"Prop?"

"I don't sleep."

"You have insomnia?"

"No, it is impossible for vampires to sleep."

"That makes sense, I guess since your body has pretty much shut down you don't need it. What else do you not need to do?"

"Well, I don't need to breath, or blink, and I can't really be hurt unless it's by another vampire."

"You don't have to breathe?"

"No, breathing just keeps your heart pumping, but mine doesn't beat anyway."

"What did you mean by you can't get hurt?"

"One minute" he said and ran out at un-human speed. When he returned he was carrying a butcher knife. My eyes widened. He put the handle in my hand." now, I want you to stab my arm as hard as you can."

"No!"

"Just does it, I promise it won't hurt me." I closed my eyes and raised the knife then stabbed it into his arm. I heard a sickening crack and my eyes shot open. The knife had split in two and Rory was unscathed.

"Interesting" I replied slightly shaken. "next question, how do you go in the sun, aren't you supposed to melt?" he looked at me as though questioning my sanity." that's what the myths say."

"No, I obviously don't melt. It goes back to the 'you are what you eat' saying. If a vampire drinks human blood they will glitter and sparkle in the sun. Damien thinks it is because if they drink human blood they don't deserve to be able to stand with humans without being discovered. He says that it's like there sins are shining for the world to see."

He was silent. I didn't know what my next question would be.

"They're back." He said which forcibly reminded me off the poltergeist.

"Who's back?" I asked confused.

"My family."

"How do you know?"

"I heard them pull up."

"Okay…"

"They want us to come down."

"How do you know?"

"They just asked us to."

"I didn't hear."

"Well of course you didn't, they were talking about as loud as we are now."

"And you heard?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Naturally." Then he scooped me up in his arms. "Just because it would annoy everyone if we had to wait for you to walk down the stairs" he said, I scowled but obliged. With how fast they move I must look like I'm moving about as fast as the tectonic plates.

In milliseconds we were down stairs. Rory set me on a cream colored chair and sat on the armrest while we both faced the rest of the family on the couches. None of them looked upset or annoyed that I knew, just nervous. Damien spoke first.

"We are… glad that you know are secret, it will make things a lot easier for us around you. But you have to promise us something."

"Sure." I said not knowing what I just agreed to and wishing that I had said something more like 'I'll promise unless it is something that could be used to help people'. But no, I was me and I just said 'sure'.

"Good, so what we need you to promise is that you will never tell anyone our secret." He said seriously looking at me intently.

"Understood." I told him. But who did they think I was going to tell anyways? Even if I did people would just think I was crazy.

"Good." He said and sighed in what I assumed to be relief. "Along with that you can't admit to knowing what we are, even if they are other vampires. You cannot let people know that you know our secret. If you do you will be putting yourself in danger."

"Okay, I won't let anyone know that I know. This might sound sill but why?"

"Because it is against our laws for humans to know." Jill said.

"You have laws?"

"Of course we do." Jill said again.

"Who enforces the, vampire police officers?"

"Somewhat, they are called the volt-." But Damien's words were interrupted by the ripping of fabric under Rory's hand on the chair. "Rory, we have to tell her to keep her safe."

"No, we don't need to tell her that, they won't find out. So there is no point in scaring her." Rory said defiantly.

"Rory we need to tell her so she understands the situation." Damien continued.

"It won't scare me. " I chimed in.

Rory let out a growl. It was as terrifying as the one in my first dream since I had seen him (see chapter 2 part 1). "NO!" he shouted.

"Rory, we need to tell her. Do I need to bring you to another room?" Triston said. Rory breathed deeply to calm himself and show he didn't need to be taken to another room. I thought it quite silly that he was breathing since he didn't have to.

"So," Damien continued. "The people who enforce the law are called the Volturi." He finished.

"What would happen if they caught me?"

"They would kill you by means of torture or food." at this most of the family's eyes started to glow, ranging from barely to like Rory's, which were like a new light bulb. The brightest were Triston's, I thought that that made sense seeing as he was like my big brother already. This made me feel good because it meant that they were upset that Damien was talking about me being killed. Or it was that they were hungry, I hoped it was the first though.

"Food?" I questioned.

"Yes, as I am guessing Rory has already explained to you, we feed off of animals, well very few do. I have never even actually met any who do aside from us. As for the Volturi, they certainly don't.

"Oh." I said. My stomach churned at the idea of me being sucked dry. Even though I had said that I wouldn't be scared I was. I quickly tried to clear my mind though remembering that Rory was probably inside of it.

Rory touched my hand with his icy one and my heart jumped erratically. The room exploded with laughter for some reason that I didn't understand.

"What?!" I said thoroughly frustrated that I didn't ever understand what everyone was laughing about.

"Just something Rory will explain to you on the ride home sweetie." Melanie told me.

"Which will be right now." Damien told us. "Cassie, you need your sleep. Rory, you drive her home and everyone can talk more tomorrow."

"All right." I obliged. The feeling of lethargy washing over me. Rory gave me his hand to help me out of the chair, I took it gratefully.

He led me pout into the crisp night air, to the front of the garage. I thought this strange because the car was usually on the curb. I closed my eyes and yawned. When I opened them the garage door was up and in sat four gorgeous cars.

I stood and stared in awe. First there was the dark navy car that I had grown accustomed to. The next was a silver convertible that looked very stylish. There was also a black prius. But the one that stood out the most was the one that Rory was getting into. It was the color red that parents never got their children because it was like a cop magnet. It was some type of fancy two seated cars that no doubt cost more than all the money I had ever spent in my life.

"Are you coming?" he asked. I quickly scrambled to the door. Once inside he turned the car on but I could barely tell. It made next to no noise. "Do you like it, it was a birthday present?"

"Wow that was a _very_ nice birthday present. How did they afford it?"

"We're not exactly poor."

"So what. This car could put a dent in Paris Hilton's bank statement."

"Well, when you have forever you accumulate a lot of money."

"What?" did he just say forever?

"Never mind, I'll explain it later."

"Fine. Why was everyone laughing earlier?"

"Remember how I said our senses are intensified?" he chuckled when I nodded. "When I touched your hand we heard your heart skip a beat."

"Your hearing is that good?" I said completely mortified.

"Yes, just wonderful, isn't it?"

"For you maybe." I muttered. We had pulled up in front of my house. My mom came out on the porch to see who was in the car. When I opened the door she looked utterly surprised. Before completely getting out of the car I looked to Rory.

"I'll see you soon, I love you." Just loud enough for me to hear.

"I love you too." I said before closing the door and walking up to meet my mom.

"Wow, who was that?" she asked.

"Rory." Shock and awe colored her face at my answer. "Um mom, can we sit down for a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Yes of course honey."

"Great." I said leading her to our old kitchen table. When we were sitting I took a big breath. I had to get this over with and out of the way. "Well…" I faltered. "Mom," I started again. "Rory is my boyfriend."

"Oh." She said. I knew that this must have struck her odd because I told her when I dated people, but to call them my boyfriend, she knew that this was serious. "All right." She said as if giving approval.

"And just so you know we are hanging out tomorrow." I told her. "So yea, that's pretty much it. I'm going to go to bed now." As I was walking down the hall I heard her chair scrape the floor as she stood up.

"Well that was brave." Whispered the most angelic voice I had ever heard, as I walked into my room. Rory was sitting on my bed. I closed the door and flung my arms around his neck.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him

"Sitting." He whispered back, answering my question in the literal sense. I swatted his arm at the snide remark. "Was that supposed to hurt?" he challenged. He let out a small growl. It was nothing like the one from earlier. It was light and playful, and so my mother wouldn't hear us quiet.

He 'tackled' me onto my back where he towered over me.

I saw his arm twitch then he moved back to his first position of sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"For what? I asked sitting up.

"I could have hurt you so easily just now."

"But you didn't." I said.

He opened his mouth to talk but I clamped my hand over it. Then immediately retracted it.

"Good thinking, probably not the best place for your hand to be."

I stood up and shifted awkwardly. He stared at me.

"I have to change." I told him.

"Okay…" he said clearly not understanding what I was saying.

"I'm not going to change with you sitting there." I said exasperated.

"Well, what do you want me to do? Stand outside your door and wait for your mother to see me and think that I am some type of stalker?"

"Well I don't know. Don't you think that she will think it odd if I go to the bathroom to change?"

"Yes, so just change, I promise I won't look."

"You better not." I warned him.

"What are you going to do swat my arm again?"

I twirled my finger as to motion him to turn around. I then took off my heels and slipped some of my pajama pants on under my dress. After making sure he wasn't looking I took the whole dress off and threw on a shirt.

"You can turn around now." I said and he did. "I have to go brush my teeth and wash my face; I'll be back in a sec." I told him.

I did my task as fast as I could but it seemed to take forever. When I came back I closed the door and slipped under the covers he had pushed back for me. He walked to the light and spoke before turning it off.

"You and I have different ideas of what a second are."

When he turned off the light he came and lay next to me on top of the covers.

"How do you fit in this bed?" he asked.

"Cramped."

"Well then I am sorry that I am taking up your extra room."

"That's alright, I'll just think of you as one big body pillow."

He chuckled softly. After a few minutes of silence I spoke.

"This is different, but I like it. I said snuggling up to Rory. "So what did you mean you live forever?" my conscious mind was ebbing towards sleep.

"I meant that we live all eternity, I mean we already died."

"So you never die…again?" I was struggling for consciousness.

"No."

"Well doesn't that sound nice." I say.

"That's one way of putting it." He says, making the last thing I hear before I fall asleep being his melting honey voice.

_The brisk air outside was causing me to huddle against Rory, not that he was giving off any heat. We were on a ferries wheel. We were descending from the top. Our cart was facing the forest. I knew where we were, it was the annual Halloween carnival._

_I saw some type of vulture circling over the trees. It was nearly dusk and the last glimmers of orange sunlight were reflecting off the clouds. The changing horizon was horridly moving us into darkness._

_Rory went stiff next to me. I shifted to look at him. He was staring at the guy ruining the ride then his eyes flicked to the woods._

"_Hurry up, hurry." Rory was whispering to himself. I could feel his urgency to this unknown situation. "Hurry."_

_We were nearing where we got off of the ride but the guy stopped it so that the people near the top could enjoy where they were. Our cart was swinging from the stop. I grabbed it to steady myself._

_Then silence cut through everyone at the carnival. Everyone was listening to the screams that were echoing from the forest next to us. They sounded like they were struggling, writhing in pain. It reminded me of when Rory had broken up with Kirsten, she had been so angry that she screamed like that. But her scream was of fury this scream was from pain, I could tell. Then I realized why it reminded me of Kirsten._

_I was 99 sure it was her._


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

His words had startled me. Once he had let it sink in though he snuck out my window (which must have been his way in though I was quite sure I had closed it), after telling me to be ready in ten minutes.

I told my mom, she took it fine. That was probably because she was half asleep though. I quickly put my hair in a messy ponytail and slipped on some black yoga pants and a dark gray and green polka-dotted tank top. After brushing my teeth thoroughly and putting on my converse I ran outside to see that Rory was already there.

As I hopped in the car a snide comment struck my ears.

"I thought ten minutes was long enough, but goodness, you took 12."

"Oh yeah very funny."

"I always am." He said while pulling off of my street. "So I told the others that we are on the way." He said. I couldn't help but stare at his beautiful face. He looked concentrated like he was hiding something and intent on keeping it hidden. It made my heart hurt that he felt he had to keep something from me. His handsome face blemished by a mask. "Stop feeling sorry for me or yourself." He commanded. I was taken aback I had completely forgot that he could probably hear what was going on in my head.

"I'm sorry." I said softly though I knew he could hear.

"Don't be sorry, you just don't have to worry about what I'm 'hiding' from you."

"Okay."

We pulled up to his house. He opened the garage and drove his car in to be among the others. Walking me into the house through the door in the garage. The house was very quiet and a feeling of emptiness emanated off of the walls.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, half expecting my voice to echo though I had said it in barely a whisper.

Then I saw Jill bound down the steps at just slightly faster than human speed. "Well, everyone one else is out… umm," Jill was saying uncomfortably, like she wasn't sure whether to tell me or not.

"Hunting." Rory finished. I guess I understood Jill's nervousness for telling me where everyone was. "Which I should be going to do now, Jill, I trust you have already been?"

"Of course," she said as though offended that he would think she wouldn't have gone before.

"Good, then I will be going." He said then turned to me.

"I love you." I told him. Then added lightly "don't come back until you're full." He laughed softly.

"I love you too." And then before I could see him move he was gone.

"Aww, you two are so cute." Said Jill. Then she grabbed me and flung me over her shoulder and ran up to her room at inhuman speed placing me on the bed. "Sorry, I just wasn't going to wait for you to walk up the stairs." She explained.

"Umm, thank you? Is that the right thing to say?"

"I'm not sure, I guess. But it doesn't really matter right now."

"So, what are we doing today?"

"Well, Damien thought it would be a good idea for all of us to tell you our backgrounds today. Like where we came from how old we really are, all that stuff."

"You already told me how old you are." I said referring to one of our first encounters when she had found me at five in the morning.

"Our real ages silly! We live forever we aren't really only in our teens."

"Oh." I said slightly embarrassed a blush creeping ups my cheeks. "So how old are you really?"

"Well, I was born in 1938. Which makes me 68 years old?" She sighed.

"Right." I said trying to grasp the idea that she could be my grandma.

"I know it is a strange thing to think about." She continued. "So I was born in 1938 to my parents Lillian and Max McDermott. I was raised in Chicago , Illinois until I was about 16 and a half when my father decided to take us on a camping trip. My mother and I thought this very silly because we couldn't handle something like that, but my father assured us that he would take care of us. I really trusted him. The first night out there was long. I can't remember most of it because it was a long time ago. But I do remember waking up to my father yelling in pain. I climbed out of my separate tent and ran to my mother and fathers. I saw my mother laying in the tent still her face completely drained of any color. She almost looked shriveled. When I looked at her closer though I the two half moon cuts on her neck that almost formed a circle, I didn't know it then but my mother had been sucked dry by a vampire. I could still hear my father screaming and it worried me but as I ventured outside of the tent I realized that the sound was coming from the woods and I wouldn't dare go into them." She stopped as though remembering it.

"I'm sorry that it happened like that."

"I'm not done." She said. "I haven't even gotten to where I was changed. So as I was sitting in the dark listening to my fathers screams get softer and softer, I knew he was about to die. And I knew that my mother was already dead. I didn't want to live without them. I didn't want to live in an orphanage. So I picked up the knife we had used to cook dinner last night and I slit both of my wrists. That wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do with a thirsty vampire wandering around. I guess that once he finished off my father and he smelled my blood he came back. I remember not knowing what to do. He raised my wrists to his mouth and …well you know. I know I passed out. I don't know what had made him stop though. He obviously did. I woke up three days later a vampire. I didn't understand it at first. Everything was sharper, my vision the way things smelled I could hear everything. I had seen Dracula the movie, and when I was around people I had the thirst for blood. At first I didn't know what else I could do so I did drink human blood. It was into the nineteen fifty's when I met Damien, Melanie, and Triston. I had been looking for my next human prey on a busy city street when I saw Triston. I had never been in love before so I had mistaken my lust for him as blood lust, mistaking him as a human. I started tracking him. That was just what I did. And finally late one night when I cornered him when he wasn't with Damien or Melanie I realized that he was a vampire also."

"Wow." I said she had such an interesting story like it was right out of a book.

"I know. When he found out I had been tracking him though he brought me home to Damien and Melanie. That was when I had it explained to me that I didn't need to feed off of humans that I had an alternative. Even after I knew that I kept tracking Triston though. I couldn't help it I was in love with him. When I told him that I loved him we ended up getting married and I moved in." she finished.

"Cool." I said

"Yeah I guess." She sighed. "So now we just wait for the next person to get here to tell you there story." She said.

"So why is everyone out hunting?"

"Because we get hungry. And it is especially hard to be around you so much. You have no idea the risk you are taking by being here with us. You do realize that we could take your life so easily without even meaning it?"

"Yes I know, but I don't care. I trust you." She smiled sweetly at me.

"You are probably the best friend I have ever had." She told me.

"Thanks." I said and I gave her a hug. At first she didn't know what to do. She stood almost paralyzed. Then she hugged me back. It felt good to have a friend.

"Hey guys I'm back" said Triston.

"Hi" I said.

"All right, well I'll be going." Said Jill.

"See you later." I said

Triston walked over and took the spot that had been occupied by Jill.

"So how is your day going?" he asked politely.

"Just fine and yours?" I asked in the same manor.

"Quite well." We both laughed. I felt so comfortable with Triston he could easily be my older brother.

"So where would you like to start your story?" I asked.

"Well, I will tell you my age first I guess."

"Allrighty then."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to make a guess?"

"Sure, why not. How about 1901."

"Not even close."

"Then when?"

"Try in the mid 1200's."

"What?!" that made me speechless. He had to be joking.

"Yes, I don't know when exactly but I can tell you a little about my life then. I don't remember my parents well. I do remember my sister though. Her name was Madelyn. One night she was stolen from her bed by Spartan warriors. It crushed me. I convinced my parents to let go to war, to fight as a Trojan. Like many others I died on the battlefield, but not the way most did. I had been stabbed. I was lying on the ground bleeding. Amidst all of the fighting, I saw Damien walking calmly through the fields of gore. I called out to him to help me. To get me out of there. When he came over to me I told him that I needed to live to save my sister, for her sake. He helped me off of the battlefield. And brought me back to his house. Where as I was telling him my life's story he bit me. It wasn't until later that he told me what I had become and that he had done it to help me find my sister. He and Melanie were married and they became like parents to me. For the first few weeks Damien took me out everyday to look for Madelyn. When we found out they had killed my sister I had been upset with him for dooming me to an eternal life without her. I had lived my whole vampiric life surrounded by human blood which made it easier for me when I left not to suddenly start feeding off of humans and to stick with animals. But I soon came back after realizing that Damien had only done that so I could live to find the truth about my sister. I will never be upset about it now though."

"Oh, do you think that you would have done the same if you were in Damien's shoes?"

"I'd like to think so but I'm not sure." He said after thinking for a minute.

"Why do you think that you got the power that you did?"

"I'm not sure. I guess it was because when I was passionate about something I was able create the perfect argument to win some one over and the last thing I had done was convince my parents to let me go in to battle and for Damien to help me."

"Why do you think that your power doesn't work on me?"

"…maybe this sounds silly but…never mind."

"No, tell me. I'm not going to laugh."

"Well, it doesn't really make sense since none of our powers work on you, but you just remind me so much of my sister. You even look similar, you act the same. I feel like I am already connected to you. Like we have some type of bond that works as a barrier. I don't know it's silly."

"No it's not."

"Thanks kid, you really are special."

"Just because your hundreds of years older than me doesn't mean you can call me kid!"

"What would you rather prefer whopper-snapper?"

I grimaced, I didn't like either but would definitely rather be called kid than whipper-snapper.

There was a light knock on the door.

"Come in Elyse." Triston said.

Elyse entered in all of her beauty.

Elyse was the person I had been most worried about talking to. It was probably because I hadn't figured out how she felt about me yet. She almost always acted differently towards me, never the same.

Once Triston left she sat next to me on the bad. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Please don't look so nervous."

"Why shouldn't I look nervous?"

"Why should you?" she asked me.

"Why am I nervous?" I hated myself for not being able to lie. It constantly forced me to tell the truth. "I'm nervous because I'm worried that I will find out that you don't like me, and then I will know for sure." I said thinking about each word before using it.

"What makes you think I don't like you?"

"Well, your attitude when you are around me is almost always changing. And I don't know any other reason than you not liking me. And I feel like I can't trust you as well as the others, because you got me drunk." I said my face hidden.

"Good." She said. My head snapped to look at her. Good? Why was she so cruel?

"Good? Why is that good?" I said rudely, but I didn't care about my manners, she wasn't exactly using hers.

"You're not going to understand why until I tell you my story, so please be quiet and listen. I was born in 1969.I had a good family good friends. I was changed on my seventeenth birthday in 1986. I fell off of a roller coaster that my friends and I were on. I was somehow caught by Melanie. Though I was caught my spine still broke. Melanie changed me to keep me 'alive'. The police said that my body fell into the woods and was just never found. I obviously came into their family. I ate the same as them. Then recently at our old school, after a football game I was with this guy and he tried to kiss me. I hadn't eaten in a while and before I knew it I had bitten him. I didn't want him to become a vampire, so I drank all of his blood. That is why I said well, it is good that you don't trust me, I don't want you to."

"You don't want me to trust you?"

"No."

"Well, too bad. Because I do."

"Look I really do like you, but I don't think that you should be around us. You are putting yourself in a lot of danger."

"I don't care." I said stubbornly.

"Cassie, don't be stupid. Every second you're with us you are more likely to be killed."

Tears were welling in my eyes. Why was she telling me to go away, I loved their family for who they were not what they were.

"Ugh, please don't cry, I didn't mean to upset you. I am just trying to keep you safe."

"Cassie? Elyse?" called Damien.

"We're in Jill's room." Elyse said.

Elyse stood up before Damien and Melanie got to the room. "I'm going back to hunt." she said. I wasn't sure if it was to me or Damien and Melanie, knowing that they could hear. Melanie and Damien appeared in the doorway.

"Why don't we go into the living room?" Melanie said.

I nodded and walked out of the room. They let me walk down the stairs by myself which I was happy about. I tried to unnoticeably wipe away the tears in my eyes. I walked into the living room and sat on the cream colored couch.

"I hope you have enjoyed listening to our stories." Damien said.

"Umm, yes I have."

"Well, this is the last story for today I think." Melanie said.

"Melanie and I were married when we were changed." Damien started. "It was only, I'd say, five years before I changed Triston. We were at home eating dinner, when we heard a disturbance in the back of the house."

"And of course Damien, being male, just had to check it out to keep me safe. Because all men are macho." Melanie added playfully.

Damien grimaced. I thought it silly because they were adults yet they still acted like teenagers.

"So, I went to check it out and in the back of the house, there was a person. At first I was alarmed and was ready to fight, but it was a girl, very young probably about nine. I went to help her up to see what was wrong, but when I bent down to give her my hand she lunged at me and bit me." Damien said.

"Then I came into the room wondering what was taking so long, only to see a little girl sucking on my husband's neck, you have to understand how strange that was. So I yelled at her and she jumped up and left. For three days Damien screamed out in pain and I had no idea how I was supposed to help him, but I held his hand and tried to feed him but he wouldn't take the food. One the third nights I had fallen asleep but was awoken when he let out his loudest scream yet. Then he stopped screaming all together. He opened his eyes and looked at me. They were blue, but they hadn't been blue before so I was frightened. Before I could do anything he jumped on me and bit me though." Melanie sighed.

"You have to understand Cassie when I new vampire wakes up they haven't ever eaten so they really can't control their thirst." Damien said as though he were apologizing.

"It's all right; I'm not going to judge you by something that happened hundreds of years ago." I said. The words sounded funny to me.

"Everyone should be back soon." Damien said.

"Why don't we get you something to eat seeing as our family has just finished." Melanie said.

"Okay."

Melanie got up off of the couch and walked to the kitchen, I followed. She led me up to the refrigerator and opened the door. It was stocked to full capacity with food. I gawked.

"Not to be rude, but why do you have so much food if you don't eat it?"

"Well, Elyse, Jill, and I went to the supermarket yesterday and got a little carried away." Melanie admitted slightly ashamed.

I laughed. I could imagine the scene compared to the amount of food that was there.

"What's so funny?" Rory asked while he snaked his arms around my waist. I jumped in correlation to my heart.

"Just the idea of the girls in your family getting carried away in the supermarket." I answered.

"Well, you can have anything in there or in the cupboard, we bought it all for you." Melanie said while exiting.

I turned around, eager to see Rory's face. It was late afternoon. The setting sun played shadows against his godly face.

"You're beautiful." He said. I blushed crimson, but didn't look away; the thought of looking at something else, no matter how beautiful it was would be disgusting in comparison to him.

"You're very handsome yourself." I told him. This was embarrassing to say aloud but I knew that he wouldn't make fun of me so I didn't mind.

"G-d! Please stop with the mushiness until I'm out of earshot." Said Triston as he came into the kitchen. What was he doing in here; he didn't exactly need any food.

"It isn't our fault that you're able to hear us anywhere in the house." Rory complained.

"Well, you might want to stop anyways." Elyse said also entering the room.

"Cass, why don't we go for a walk." I liked that he had called me Cass, only my dad ever called me that and it felt very endearing that he had decided to use it.

"'kay" I said. He grabbed some food, though I didn't see what and two blankets. Then he led me out the back door and on to the hill. We walked to almost the top of it when he set down the blanket and the food.

"You have a thing for picnics don't you?" I said reminiscing about last weekend when he brought me down to the creek.

He gave me a smile and set out the food. There was a pie, a whole pie. That was all that I saw before I looked up at him like he was an idiot.

"I don't exactly eat whole pie's" I told him.

"That's okay, what you don't eat now I'll force feed to you tomorrow." He joked.

I looked down. He had gotten the essentials for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peanut butter, jelly, and bread.

I started to spread the jelly on half of the bread.

"Here." Rory said taking the bread and knife away from me. "I'd rather you didn't handle a knife."

"It's a butter knife." I whined.

"Yes, but a butter knife in your hands is still a deadly weapon."

I crossed my arms and set myself with a pout. Rory handed me the finished sandwich and I took it hungrily. I finished it quicker than I thought I would. Rory pushed the pie towards me. I picked up a fork and pulled out a nice chunk I stuck it in my mouth. It was strawberry rhubarb, which was easily the best pie in the world. I chewed slowly and swallowed.

"Rory?"

"Yes?"

"A while ago I had a dream, and…" I stopped; maybe I shouldn't bring this up. Maybe I don't want the answer, or maybe I do.

"And…?"

"Well, in it… I think you changed me."

"Yes, I remember." He said curtly.

I really wanted to know this but I was afraid to ask. Don't be afraid I told myself. Just do it. Just ask him.

"I was wondering, are you were planning on ever changing me?"


	9. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

He looked at me appalled, and then his features softened into thought.

"I'm not sure, I haven't exactly been this way for very long so I don't know how to put it in perspective." he started. "I can understand why you are asking. It is a reasonable question to ask. I guess I haven't really thought about this subject." It sounded to me like he was thinking out loud and I hoped that I would, in the end, get an answer. "I wouldn't have wanted myself to have to live for eternity personally, but everyone does have their own opinion, but it isn't like I had a choice my transformation was…" I opened my mouth to question how his transformation had come about, but was silenced when he held his finger to my mouth, in the universal motion of 'wait'. "I will tell you about it later. I do admit that having you around for eternity with me would lighten things up, that is if you agreed to be with me, which you could very easily decide you didn't want. And I would only let you be changed for my own completely selfish reasons." He said a smirk gracing his perfect lips. "But if I were to change you, you would either be forever one age, never to experience growing up. New things that happen with age. You would never have children and never be able to attach yourself to anyone who would one day die without you, yourself dying emotionally. You would have to leave your family, your friends, your whole life. So for now my answer is no. No, at the moment I am not planning on ever changing you."

"When you say at the moment, does that mean that your ideas on this subject could possibly change?" I asked.

"Possibly, but it is unlikely. Once I decide something it usually stays that way."

"I guess I understand your reasoning, but does that mean I can't hope that you will one day change me anyway?"

"You can still hope, I cannot control your thoughts, but I would rather you didn't get yourself accustomed to the idea of it." He said.

"I would rather live in the moment than fret about the future anyways." I said leaning back.

I apparently leaned to far and was precariously teetering about to fall onto my back, not that it would be a long fall from my sitting position, but still, the ground didn't look exactly soft. The moment I officially began moving backwards of gravity's accord I felt two strong arms wrap there way around me and pull me close.

"I'm glad you see it that way." Rory's smooth voice said in my ear. I sighed and pushed my head against his chest to check for about the umpteenth time that his heart really wasn't beating. It wasn't that I didn't believe him, I just marveled at the idea of him walking around like a normal person when he didn't have a heart beat. Not that he was anything close to a normal person, calling him normal was just about the biggest insult you could give him.

He was beautiful, gorgeous, he took my breath away. He was graceful and polite. He wasn't polite to an annoyance though, he also had his 16 year old side. But he had matured so much since before. I wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been changed. But I needed to live in the present now, not the past. I didn't need to worry about 'what if' s because this was what was happening.

"Rory, I really do love you."

"Cassie, I really do love you too."

"Will you take me home?"

"Sure," he said standing up but never letting go of me.

"You know if you keep carrying me everywhere I'm going to get fat." I said

"I highly doubt you could ever get fat if you tried."

"Ha-ha."

"No really Cassie, you're very thin."

"Um, thank you. I think."

"Your welcome. I think."

We both laughed. I decided that I would never again bring up getting fat because he took it a little too seriously, it was supposed to be a one liner joke to annoy him, but he had carried it on like a real conversation. Instead of running back to his house like I had expected, he walked in a slow graceful gait.

Once at the house he walked into the garage and placed me gently in the car. As he climbed into the drivers seat himself, I thought back on what Triston had said. Why he hadn't been able to use his power on me.

"Why do you think your gift works on me and the others' don't?" I blurted out. He stopped mid-movement, as if frozen like some statue. Then he turned to me a dejected look on his face.

"I don't know."

"Does it upset you that you don't know?" I asked.

"Slightly, more the reason that the others' powers don't work on you."

"Why does that upset you." I asked completely befuddled.

"It more scares me. And it scares me because they all feel that the reason that their powers don't work on you is because they feel that they possess some type of bond with you."

"So…what are you jealous?"

"No, their bond is made because to all of them you seem to significantly resemble or remind them of someone they were deeply emotionally connected to."

The car was parked outside my house. The lights were all off and it was obvious that no one was home.

"I still don't understand why that scares you." I stated.

"We'll talk about it when I come back. Don't worry that won't be long, I just have to bring the car back."

"Fine." I said stepping out of the car. And hurrying to the door. By the time I got there I turned around to see his car one more time but it was already gone. I walked in the house to my room and slipped off my shoes before falling on my bed. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. Today had been a very long and interesting day and it wasn't even over yet.

"Headache?" called my personal angel from somewhere to my left.

"Migraine." I corrected, but I sat up and opened my eyes eager to see his face. He looked at me. I looked at him. I almost had the urge to commence me staring contest but then remembered he need never blink, so I would automatically lose.

"So, why does it scare you that the rest of your family feel that they have a 'bond' with me?"

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you, it would only intensify your migraine."

"I don't care, I just want to know."

"Fine, it scares me because all of those emotional bonds that were made with people with my family were all murdered." He said bluntly.

"That could be just a coincidence." I said feebly. The idea scared me but why couldn't it be a coincidence.

"It could…" he said slowly.

"How did they die?" I asked, not truly sure if I wanted the answer.

"Well, I believe that Triston told you about Madelyn." I nodded my head to show him that I already knew that. "Jill had a friend who, after she was changed, was killed in some women's rights act gone riot. She was shot when the police tried to calm everyone down. It affected Jill a lot because when she went to the funeral, she couldn't get in because she had to let everyone believe she was dead. As for Damien, you remind him of his first prey…" he paused as if he didn't want to continue in case I became scared, or something along those lines.

"Continue." I commanded, my face blank of any expression.

"He says you remind him of his first prey, his first human prey. It was the only human he ever fed off of. He says that the girl looked so innocent, good natured, and understanding. He says that she didn't put up any type of struggle, she understood why he was doing it. She was even polite. Damien says that the only thing that she said at all was 'please don't' once." His melodic voice had run soft, in a whisper.

"Oh." My mind was like a turbulent waterfall. One thought running into the next. "Rory, would you mind leaving for a bit?" I asked. I needed to sort out my thoughts without being watched.

He raised his eyebrow. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked worried.

"No, no of course not, I just need some time to think."

"I shouldn't have told you that much." He said hanging his head.

"I needed to know, I'm glad that you told me. " I said, softly putting my hand against his glacial cheek. It sent my heart pounding, and I was proud of the courage I had to initiate such a move. "I just need to have some time to think."

"About what?"

"Life." And when I said this, I didn't mean it in the sarcastic way. I meant that I needed to think about losing it by being changed, and losing it because of the weird 'bond' that I shared with Rory's family members, and keeping it ; but losing it emotionally by leaving Rory and his family like Elyse had told me to. "It will just be for a little while, you can come back at," I looked at my alarm clock. It read 5:52 p.m.. "7:30, if you want to that is." I added hurriedly. I guess I was just assuming that he would be, but what if he wasn't. Maybe he just spent the night because it was the night he had told me his secret.

"Of course I'll be back." He said. He leaned close to me and I was careful not to do anything stupid. I could smell his intoxicating scent oozing off of him. He leaned in closer and pressed his lips against by cheek.

It felt amazing, though my whole body was on fire. I could tell that my face was deep scarlet. I could feel his lips pull into a grin. But I also felt, as a cause of him grinning, the texture of his teeth pressed lightly against my cheek.

I was suddenly aware of everything. How my scarlet blush was my blood pooling near the surface of my skin. How cold and deathly Rory felt against me. I could feel how rigid my body was. I could hear the clock in the kitchen ticking.

Rory pulled back a look of concern in his face. "I should go now." He said.

"Okay." I consented.

He left in a flurry of motion that left my schoolwork from the desk into the air.

I lay on my bed. I was getting distracted by the colors and images on my walls. I grabbed the sheets from the foot of my bed and threw them over my head. I huddled in fetal position underneath them. In the darkness my thoughts inundated my mind.

The first thing I thought that I should tackle was whether or not I even wanted to be changed. I had spoken the truth saying I would rather live in the moment than fret about the future. But I didn't even know my stand point on the topic. Everything that he had said, all of his reasoning made a lot of sense. I was happy how much he was thinking of me. About how he wanted me to experience life and all of its aspects. But did I want to be changed at all? Yes, I did. Maybe not now, but eventually. When I thought eventually I meant soon though. I didn't exactly look forward to withering and growing old. But I was fifteen going on sixteen, I didn't really need to worry about wrinkles yet. But if he waited too long then we wouldn't be able to be together at all. It would be strange to see someone about 27 dating someone who was sixteen. But Rory didn't look sixteen. He could pass as 18 easily, maybe even 19. So I could go a while without feeling like a 'biological time clock' was ticking ( I mean ageing not pregnancy, though it is normally used when talking about pregnancy). That was my answer to my first question. I did want to be changed, eventually.

The thought that confused me the most. The reason why Triston, Jill, and Damien's powers didn't work on me. The 'bond' was unusual. All of these people had had some type of impact on the family. All of them had been murdered. All of these people had some how greatly affected Triston, Jill, and Damien. They had all affected them… I needed to find some similarity. And why could Rory use his power on me? I let out a frustrated sigh.

I wondered if Rory was in my mind right now. I hoped he wasn't, but wouldn't put it past him. I started thinking about his gift, I wondered if the actual gift he had was the real reason that he could use it on me. Could he use it on other vampires or just humans? Humans. Vampires. I repeated to myself. It was like the light bulb in my head had flickered on and off so fast that I wasn't sure if it had really happened.

I got it! I had found some similarity between the stories, the people. All of the people had somehow affected Rory's 'gifted' family after they had been changed. While the victims had been humans the Haven's had been vampires. Maybe this wasn't some huge discovery. Maybe, like the deaths, it was just a coincidence. But I felt content with myself for figuring as much as I had.

I was annoyed that Elyse had advised me to stay away. I didn't give a damn if they were dangerous. Maybe she didn't realize that they aren't the only thing that bites. Dogs bite.

But I knew that she meant well, and was just trying to protect me. The thought of leaving Rory terrified me though. I would die emotionally if he left. I was so close to him. He was like my heart. And I needed both a heart and brain to survive. I wouldn't leave him, the very thought was absurd.

I couldn't believe how long it had been since he had told me. Or rather how short. I had only known for less than a day. It was strange to think. I had accepted it so fast. Welcomed his lifestyle, him. But that was because I didn't care. If I had to put it to song it would be 'as long as you love me' by the backstreet boys.

I did love him, and I always would. No matter what.

"Is that you under there?" Rory asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

I threw the blankets off of me and was overjoyed to see him standing at the side of my bed.

"_I_ _love_ _you_." I said slightly too emotional, but it was a cause of being left alone with my thoughts. Not that I was sure that they were being left alone.

"Yes, it's definitely you." He said sarcastically. He put his hands to my hair and started to straighten it out. I could only imagine how horrid it looked from being squished under the covers for an hour and a half.

"But I really do." I said. He sat down next to me and looked into my eyes. I felt like a deer caught in headlights. I couldn't move. I needed to blink but his gaze was rendering me useless to my own needs. His brilliant glowing eyes. Though the warning was right in front of me I leaned in slowly towards his cheek and pressed my own lips against it. I pulled away and looked at him.

"I love you too." He told me.

"CASSIE?" my mother called. I was surprised that I hadn't heard her pull into the house. I looked next to me but Rory was gone.

"Rory?" I whispered urgently.

"Yes?" he whispered back.

"Where are you?"

"Under your bed."

"Great, I have a vampire under my bed." I said exasperated. I heard him snicker.

"Cassie, are you home?" my mother said again.

"Yeah mom, I'm in my room." I said then thinking better of inviting her into my room I said. "I'll be there in a moment." I quickly emerged from my room, shutting the door behind me. I walked briskly down the hall.

"Hey honey." My mom said when I entered the living room. "What were you doing, why didn't you answer me the first time I called?" she asked, mild suspicion in her voice.

"I was finishing up a math problem on my homework." I lied easily. I was always better at lying to my mother than anyone else because she always believed me. I needed to do my homework, I had an essay due on Monday.

"Oh good job." She said half heartedly while searching through the mail. She pulled an envelope out and started walking down the hall and into the office. I followed her.

"So why'd you call me?" I asked.

She put the letter down and looked at me. "I just wanted to talk." She said. It was obvious that there was more to this. "How was homecoming?"

"Fine, I guess." I said, not understanding where she was going with this. I couldn't figure out her motive to being so interested in my life.

"Did you go with Rory?" there it was, that was her motive.

"Yes."

"What did you do after the dance?"

"We went to a party."

"Was there alcohol there?"

"I don't know, we left early." I said truthfully.

"What did you do after you left? You didn't get back until 3:50 in the morning." I hadn't realized we had gotten home so late. I couldn't tell her the truth that I went to his house and talked with him and his family about their vampirism.

"After we went to his house with the rest of his family."

"Is that the truth?"

"Yes." And it was, I had just made it sound slightly more innocent.

"I don't think you're telling me the truth."

"Well, you are entitled to your own opinion." I said starting to sound like a smart-alec.

"Cassie, have you and Rory had sex?" she asked in complete bluntness.

"No, I wouldn't do something like that right now. Why would you even think that?" I asked slightly flustered, but not embarrassed because I was mature enough to handle a conversation about it.

"Well, you called him your boyfriend, so things must be serious."

"They are mom, but to have a serious relationship you don't need everything to be physical."

"Well, I'm glad you know." I could feel that our conversation was over so I left the room and walked into my own, closing the door and crouching down to look under my bed. I looked under but saw nothing.

"What are you looking for?" Rory asked. I let out a small yelp.

"Is everything okay?" my mom asked from the , I guessed, kitchen.

"Um, yes. I just saw a spider." I said quickly.

"I didn't know you were afraid of spiders." Rory said.

"That's because I'm not."

"Won't your mom realize?"

"Probably not."

"All right then." He said sitting on my bed and pulling me into his lap.

After a few minutes of sitting I broke our silence. "Things have changed so much since I first met you."

"Well obviously." He chuckled.

"Do you know the first time I saw you I had a crush on you?"

"When Kirsten and I were going out?"

"No, before that."

"I don't think we met before that."

"We did." I said closing my eyes to best recall the memory. "We were in kindergarten and you came with your mother, looking at schools. You stayed the day. I watched you the entire time. Most of it though you were watching Kirsten." I sighed.

"Hmm, I don't remember you from then."

"That's fine, it was six hours in a kindergartener's life, and it isn't an expected memory to keep."

"Well," he stopped.

"What? You can tell me, I won't be scared or upset."

He closed his eyes and said the next fast. "It isn't that I don't remember that day, it's that I don't remember you… all I remember are Kirsten."

I felt a pang of jealousy. I knew it was stupid because that was in kindergarten, but it was still there.

"You're jealous." He stated.

"That's not fair, you need to stay out of my mind."

"You don't need to feel jealous."

"Stay out of my mind." I said giving him my harshest glare, but it was hard because I was distracted by his gorgeousness. "Were you in my mind when you weren't here today?" I demanded.

"Maybe."

I gave an extremely frustrated sigh and buried my face into his chest. When I finally brought my face back up he gave me an apologetic smile. I looked at the clock. I needed to get to bed.

I looked at him then climbed off is lap. I walked to my dresser and pulled out some pajamas. I looked at him deliberately and he turned around. After slipping into my P.J.'s and washing my face and brushing my teeth I climbed into bed and he tucked me in. as he lay on the covers next to me I turned on my side to face him.

"Will you tell me a bedtime story?" I asked, feeling utterly silly.

"Sure, what do you want it to be about?"

"Why don't you tell me the story of how you were changed."

"Okay." I closed my eyes and listened intently to his story, hanging on every word. "When I was in Europe with my parents, we were out late one night wit our cousins there. I had split off from them and was at some party. I was with this girl and she led me into a room. I of course, being a fifteen-year-old boy followed." He laughed lightly to himself at that. I didn't hear the rest of his story. I had fallen asleep. I didn't think he knew though because he didn't bug me about it the next morning.

Over the night I had had the same dream as the night before, waking up to Kirsten's scream.

Sunday was stressful. When I awoke my mother had left to go to her workout class, but she had left me a _long_ list of chores for me to do. Rory had offered to do them, but I didn't let him. These were my chores. He stayed with me the whole day and all night when I flopped on my bed due to extreme exhaustion. I had fallen asleep instantly. That night I had the same dream.

Monday at school dragged on forever while I was bombarded by questions all day about Rory and me. The school was still abuzz about homecoming. I handed in my essay in English. In drama we were divided into three groups and we each acted out scenes from Dracula in spite of Halloween this week. I wasn't in a group with Rory though. But I was pretty sure that I would be fine.

The week pretty much went on like that. I watched as decorations started to go up on the houses. The leaves were changing color. Halloween was truly in the air as the mondo bags of candy went on sale. The whole week I was assured by Rory and his family that Halloween would be great. But I couldn't feel right, perhaps it was because the dream where I was always awoken by Kirsten's scream had been coming all week and it took place on Halloween.

I woke up on Saturday morning sun spilling across my face after my 'Kirsten dream'.

"Happy Halloween." Rory whispered.

'Happy Halloween', I had been saying it my whole life. It had always been my favorite holiday. But this year it felt wrong, off. Perhaps it was because for the first time since kindergarten that I wouldn't be trick or treating with Kirsten. I didn't even have a costume. Of course, no one in Rory's family was dressing up.

"What are we doing today?" I asked. If we weren't dressing up we probably weren't going trick or treating.

"We are going to go to my house, watch movies, and then go to the carnival."

"The carnival?" I said slowly and unsurely. "Rory, I don't think I want to go to the carnival. You've seen my dream."

"Cassie, Damien and I have decided that it would be best to let your dream play out, and see if anything does even happen."

"But, but I don't want to see what happens." I said softly.

He put the back of his hand lightly against the side of my cheek. "We need to."  
He said.

"Cassie?" I heard my mom ask from the other side of my door. "Are you talking to yourself?"

"Um, yes." I said.

She pushed the door open; I didn't dare look next to me. My mothers face didn't change when she came into my room. I sat up and inconspicuously looked to my side. He was gone, my window was open. It made sense now.

"Cassie, your spending next week at your fathers, so doesn't forget to pack." She said.

"Okay, fine." I said wonder where my bag was.

"Good, and Cassie, please don't just lie around all day." She said before leaving my room and closing my door.

I closed my eyes and lay in bed until I felt it give a little from extra weight. I rolled on my side and opened my eyes.

I was pretty sure that Rory's picture was in the dictionary under gorgeous, hot, fine, beautiful, and anything else that meant good-looking. I wrapped my arms around his muscled chest and pulled myself closer. He slipped his hand under the bottom of my shirt so that it was placed on my lower back. Nothing scandalous, he had become so much more gentleman like since his change. But none the less my heart was still practically pounding out of my chest as I let his icy fingers dance against my bare skin.

"You have the softest skin" he whispered in his honey smooth voice."

"You have the most luxurious smell." I whispered back, though the sound was more like crushed gravel compared to his heavenly voice.

"I beg to differ." He said, while inhaling while his face was pressed to the top of my head.

I let out a small laugh then pushed the covers off and jumped out of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To shower" I answered simply.

"Can I come?" he asked.

"Ha-ha, no." I said sternly. Just the thought of him in the bathroom with me while I showered caused my cheeks to flush a rather brilliant shade of pink. Through the blush I was giving him my best 'don't even think about arguing' face. "I'll be ready to go in about an hour." I said giving a subtle hint.

"Okay…" he said not understanding what I was trying to tell him.

"So you can come back in an hour." I stated more bluntly.

"I'm not leaving." He said informatively. I glared at him lightly; it was hard to form a truly menacing glare when the receiver was so gorgeous. "It's not like you really want me to anyway." He said. It was true, but I wasn't going to admit that.

"And how would you know that?" I demanded. He gave me a cocky grin.

"Lets just say the being a vampire has its advantages." He said, and I knew that he meant his gift. I stormed out of the room and into the bathroom. I flipped on the light and turned the shower on, letting the freezing water pour out until it was warm. While I waited I assessed myself in the mirror. I was still slightly befuddled how he had chosen me. Me with my pallid skin and plain brown locks. But I wasn't going to belittle myself. It was just that he could have any girl in our school and he chose me. Hell, he could probably have any guy in our school.

I stripped off my clothes and jumped in the shower. I let myself be emerged by the burning water. I poured my kids brand strawberry shampoo into the palm of my hand and scrubbed my hair. I still had the feeling of euphoria that Rory had told me that he loved me, even after a week had passed.

Thoughts were swirling around my mind. I loved him. I had my nightmares about Kirsten. My mother had been suspicious today. But mostly my thoughts surrounded Rory and my dream. My Kirsten dream. Kirsten Rory. I knew that Rory had told Kirsten that he loved her.

I was rinsing my hair.

Did he mean it when he told her? Does he mean it now? Am I just a stand in for Kirsten since they aren't together anymore? No, he broke up with her. But did he still love her?

I shut the shower off and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around myself hastily. Not bothering about how I was still dripping water I scurried out of the bathroom and into my room.

"Cassie? Are you all right?" my mother called most likely startled by my sudden need to get to my room.

"Yea mom." I called back.

"Cassie?" Rory asked when I burst into my room. He was sitting in my desk chair looking at my poster board above my desk covered with photos.

"Do you still love Kirsten?" I asked barely above a whisper. He sat staring at me, looking bemused. He hung his head like a child admitting to pulling someone's hair.

"Yes." He said just audible to my ears. I took a small step back. "I do still love her," he said looking up to me giving me the most loving face that my breath caught. "But I'm not _in _love with her. I care about her but it's the same way that you cared about Jonathon."

If I was like any smart girl I wouldn't have trusted him but I was me and he was Rory, the gorgeous perfect Rory, so I did.

"I'm _in_ love with you Cassie." He said taking a step towards me.

"I'm _in _love with you too." I said as he put his arms around me. I could tell that the water from my hair was dripping down his arms. I rested my head against his chest.

"I found your bag for you." He said motioning to the corner where my bag was. I looked at him and gave him a grin. I walked to my dresser and pulled out a pair of my favorite ripped jeans. I had bought them distressed already but worn them so often that I created my own rips. Next I pulled out a plain black fitted shirt along with the proper undergarments. I gave Rory my 'turn around' signal. Once I was done dressing, I tiptoed as quietly as I could towards Rory. "I can hear you; you do know that, right?"

"Humph." I said crossing my arms. I picked up my bag and moved back to my dresser, stuffing its entire contents in. I did this because I always wanted something that I didn't bring. "I'm ready to go." I said

"All right, I'll give you ten more minutes then I'll be back with the car. I love you." He said before jumping out my window. I walked to the bathroom and put on mascara. My hair really didn't look bad. I had expected it to look bad, but it didn't. It had a few messy flips and turns from air-drying, but it looked good. I brushed my teeth and skipped to the office where my mom sat.

"Rory's going to pick me up in a few minutes; I'm going to hang out with him and his family today." I was turning to walk to the kitchen for food. But the petulant voice of my mother made me turn.

"Cassie, I don't think that you should spend so much time together." I slowly turned; I could feel my temper flaring.

"Why? I'm fine with spending time with him, what else am I supposed to be doing anyway?"

"Well, you never hang out with your other friends anymore."

"Wow, big deal. I'm not even friends with them anymore. And mother," I sneered "it isn't as if he is a bad influence on me, my grades aren't dropping or anything."

"Cassie, I just don't want you to get too attached. You're in 10th grade, I don't want you thinking that you are going to get married and live happily ever after."

"I'm not being delusional," the truth was that I did believe that we wouldn't break up, that we would get married and live happily ever after. "I'm just living in the moment."

"I just don't want you to become too involved and then when he breaks up with you for you to be distraught and scared to love anyone else."

I was deadly quiet. "So, you think that _he_ is going to break up with _me_?" there was a car honk outside. I just looked at my mom and left. Walking down the pathway to the car. Once I was in my personal angel clued into my mood.

"I'm picking up that you are annoyed with your mother."

"What are you psychic? Oh yea, you kinda are." I said dryly. He sped off in the direction of his house. When we pulled up the outside was decorated with fake cobwebs and tombstones, each of the tombstones had one of their names on it. I didn't miss the irony that they were all already dead.

He walked me inside. The inside wasn't really decorated. On the coffee table in the living room there was bowls of candies. There were gummies, chocolates, hard candies, taffies, and soda. My annoyance with my mother melted away. I let out a sigh. Rory's family came bounding down the stairs DVD's in hand. We all piled on the sofa.

"It's strange to think that I am currently in the company of people who lived during the time period that this movie was first made." I said as Dracula started. We stayed on the couch for probably too many hours, and my blood sugar was probably much too high.

It was late afternoon.

I stood up off of the couch and stretched. Everyone laughed at me.

"It isn't my fault that your muscles don't get tired from being in one position for too long." I said. As the others got up we started to discuss our plans.

"So we are all going to the carnival, right?" I asked.

"No, Elyse will be going to some sort of party, while Melanie and I stay here and wait for trick or treaters. But you, Rory, Triston, and Jill are." Damien said.

Damien turned to face Elyse. "If you feel that at any time you are losing control come right back here." He commanded.

Elyse just nodded.

We all walked to the cars. Jill and Triston rode in the same car as Rory and I did. When we arrived at the carnival I was so excited. I loved the carnival. I loved rides. Triston and Jill split off from Rory and me.

The first ride that Rory and I went on was the tilt-a-whirl. Then it was the zipper, which I screamed my head off, while Rory sat quiet as if it were some type of carousel. But I guess you didn't need to be scared if you knew that you couldn't possibly be hurt. But the next ride though it wasn't nearly as scary frightened me more than any other ride there. The Ferris wheel.

My heart pounded out a loud steady beat as we stood in line. The sun was perfect to my dream. And before I knew it we were on the ride.

The brisk air outside was causing me to huddle against Rory, not that he was giving off any heat. We were on a ferries wheel. We were descending from the top. Our cart was facing the forest.

I saw some type of vulture circling over the trees. It was nearly dusk and the last glimmers of orange sunlight were reflecting off the clouds. The changing horizon was hurriedly moving us into darkness.

Rory went stiff next to me. I shifted to look at him. He was staring at the guy running the ride then his eyes flicked to the woods.

"Hurry up, hurry." Rory was whispering to himself. I could feel his urgency to this unknown situation.

"Hurry." But I did know it, just not was happening exactly.

We were nearing where we got off of the ride but the guy stopped it so that the people near the top could enjoy where they were. Our cart was swinging from the stop. I grabbed it to steady myself.

Then silence cut through everyone at the carnival. Everyone was listening to the screams that were echoing from the forest next to us. They sounded like they were struggling, writhing in pain. It reminded me of when Rory had broken up with Kirsten; she had been so angry that she screamed like that. But her scream was of fury this scream was from pain, I could tell. Then I realized why it reminded me of Kirsten.

I was 99 percent sure it was her just like in my dream.

The guy running the ride turned it back on. He was about to let us go out through another round but Rory motioned for him to stop. When he did, Rory pulled me out of the cart and rushed me into the forest. Once we were there he scooped me up in his arms and ran. I don't think he had ever run so fast.

Suddenly he stopped. I looked at him and his eyes burned so bright that they gave off light in the surrounding darkness.

"What is it?" I asked though it was unheard to me over the pounding of my heart. He merely looked at the ground disgust tainting his perfect face. I looked to the ground. I could see some sort of liquid covering the ground and could only guess it to be blood. I felt a tickle on the back of my neck and a tremor shoot down my spine. "Is it... hers?" I asked.

"yes." He answered seriously.


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

I was at home, lying in my bed. I couldn't fall asleep. I couldn't fathom the even idea of sleep. Rory wasn't there. He had rushed me home, and told me that he wouldn't be able to stay with me tonight. I wish he was here though. I couldn't sleep without him. But I didn't want to. I was worried that I would have another dream. Nightmare, I corrected myself. I was afraid that I would have another nightmare and that it would come true. I don't think it had sunk in yet. That I would never see Kirsten again. That she was gone, forever.

Rory had ushered me home so fast. When I was there I had immediately turned on the television. It took a while but soon enough there had been a breaking new report, saying that they had found the blood. They said that they were going to do a DNA test to find out who it was. They had also said that there had been too much blood for whoever it belonged to still be alive. I had turned it off then and went to lie in bed. I had just needed to know that people knew that something would be done.

I hated that my best friend was gone. That she was taken. She had probably still believed that I was a backstabbing bitch. I hated myself for the last things I had said to her. She would never know the truth.

The last time I had checked the clock it was around two. The strange thing was that I didn't cry. I just couldn't get the tears to come no matter how sad I was. I wondered how the other students were going to take this. Two deaths in one semester. The last death before this at our school had been about eleven years ago, when some kid had committed suicide by drowning himself in the pool.

Some kid. I hated the way it sounded. I didn't want Kirsten or Jonathon to ever be called some kid. I wanted them to be remembered. So what was the name of the kid who drowned himself?

Augusten, James, Phil, Fred, jack, cor—I had drifted into fitful, but dreamless sleep.

I woke up to my blaring alarm clock to wake me to go to my fathers. I rolled over and heard the crumple of paper under me. I sat up, slightly confused. And picked up the pare that was now somewhat crumpled.

Cassie,

I came last night but I had to leave again. I had tried to stay out of your mind as to ward off more dreams. When you get done showering I will be here, I figure that by that time you will have found a solution to your problem.

-Rory

My problem, what problem? I hit the alarm off button and took the note with me to the bathroom along with some clothing. Once in the bathroom I started the water and took off my clothes. I found my problem, and fixed it. I got in the shower and washed my body and hair. I couldn't help but laugh at myself, I was so embarrassed. It wasn't fair; he would always know when I was on my period. At least we would never have to have the talk about when I was though.

I got out of the shower, dried off, put my clothes on, and blow dried my hair. I walked to my room. Rory stood in all of his glory in the middle of the room. I forced myself to smile, it didn't feel right though. He walked to me and hugged me tight. I gripped him so tight I would have broken a normal person's spine. I looked up to his face. He bent down and lightly kissed my forehead.

"What happened to" I swallowed the mucus that was building up from fear. "Kirsten?"

"Let's talk about it later okay?"

I reluctantly agreed. I needed to get going.

"Rory, will you come by tonight?" I asked hopefully, I didn't need the lines under my eyes getting any darker. They were almost about the same as Rory's.

"Of course." He said smiling. "I'll need the address though." He reminded me. I got out a piece of paper and scrawled the address on it.

"Would you like to meet my father?" I asked implications heavy.

He replied as though he was very obtuse "but Cassie, I've already met your father."

I scowled, then smiled then smiled and put on my best mock voice. "But Rory I meant as me _boyfriend_" I said over-enunciating the words.

"Maybe we should save that for a few days, I want you and your father to have a good time with each other, a nice bonding experience." He replied

There was a honk outside and I knew that the cab my mother had called last night was here.

"I love you, Rory haven" I whispered when I was at the door, though he had stayed in my room so he wouldn't be caught. I knew he could hear me. I picked up my bag and lugged it down to the cab. Once inside I told the driver the address and we sped off, though not anywhere near as fast as Rory's driving which I had gotten quite used to.

The ride was uneventful…it was a taxi. Unless you count the atrocious smell and the bad oldies music.

The car pulled up in front of my dads' house. I didn't really understand why he owned a house; he wasn't there all that often. I paid the driver and proceeded to gee my bag out. Why had I packed so much? I gave the bag one hard yank to dislodge it from being stuck in between the foot space. I came out and the inertia of my movement caused me to stumble backwards, but I was caught and steadied. I turned around and dropped my bag before flinging my arms around my dad. He hugged me tightly, grabbed my bag, and led me towards the front door. We walked into the living room and sat on the couch. He started to talk. Telling me about recent things that had been found and some of his colleagues. I tried to listen but it was pretty boring so I sat and tried to look fascinated.

My dad looked no older that 36 even though he was 42. People told us that I was the female replica of him from when he was my age. We both had pale skin, blue eyes, brown hair. Occasionally we would get that we even acted the same, but neither of us liked that; it was like getting told that your being a smart-ass (which we both sort of were). My father as built well, probably from telling people they weren't digging the holes properly and giving an example. He was handsome and I was surprised that he hadn't remarried.

"Hey Cass?" he asked.

"Yeah dad?"

"sorry, but I have some work to do this week, would it be alright if you came back next week?" he wouldn't meet my eyes, but I guess it was just because he was ashamed that he had to work. But I understood.

"Of course." I said giving him my most encouraging smile.

"Great Cass, do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"Nah, I'll get a ride." I said planning on calling Rory. "So, should I be here at the same time next Saturday?"

"Yes, that sounds good." He said handing me a phone. I smiled and carried it to my room to make the call. I closed the door and sat on the bed. The phone rang less than once before he picked up.

"Cassie, are you all right?" his heavenly voice made my heart flutter. I sighed.

"No Rory, I just need you to pick me up. My dad and I are going to meet next week."

"Oh, alright." He said, it sounded as if he was talking to someone next to him and I couldn't make out the words. "Okay Cassie, I'll be there in about five or ten minutes."

"'kay"

"Is it alright if we sit with my family, we all need to talk."

I felt my stomach drop and that clammy feeling o the back of my neck when you can tell something bad is happening.

"Umm…yea" I stuttered.

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you too." I said. If someone heard us they would think that we overused the word, but I really did love him and I wanted him to believe me and for some reason I didn't think that he understood.

He hung up and I did too. I walked back into the living room where my dad was watching some football game. I didn't understand football at all, but he was laughing. I assumed it was just a bad play. I flopped on the couch.

My dad stopped laughing and exhaled a deep breath. He smelled good; I wondered what type of cologne he was using. He put one arm around my shoulder in a paternal gesture and squeezed my arm.

"Eek" I said at how hard he had squeezed though I doubt he had meant to.

He chuckled a deep voiced smooth laugh. "Oh Cass, what are we going to do with you; your fragile and clumsy, not a good match." He sighed again as I blushed at him pointing out my flaws. "You are growing up so fast."

My cell phone rang. I got it out of my pocket. I had forgotten it was in there. I flipped it open.

"Hey Cassie, I'm outside." The light of my life said.

"Oh, I'll be there in a sec." I said closing the phone and looking at my dad. He still wouldn't meet my eyes and it was bothering me. I hugged him as hard as I could and gave him a kiss on the cheek before grabbing my bag and heading out the door eager to be in the company of Rory.

He sat in his car. I got in and the feeling of unease washed over me. I looked at his face. It was grave with a forced smile.

"Don't smile if you don't want to." I told him. It immediately dropped. "What is it?"

"We found out what happened to Kirsten."

I exhaled and it made a sort of whooshing sound. Over the car ride to Rory's house I somehow broke into a cold sweat. He stopped the car and before I could unbuckle my seat he had the door open for me and his hand held out to me. I shooed it away, I was distraught not helpless. I stepped out and my knees instantly gave way, but Rory caught me under my arms.

He wrapped one arm around my waist and I rested my head against him. We walked up the steps to his door and walked in. instead of sitting in the living room he lead me to the dining room (which I had no idea why they had). I sat in a chair around the table with the rest of his family.

"Cassie sweetie, we know what happened to Kirsten and we thought that you would like to know." Melanie said.

Some people were looking down others staring at me intently. I was feeling numb already. I wanted someone to tell me instead of just looking at me worried like I was a child.

"What?" I asked on the verge of rudely.

Rory looked at me. I wanted him to tell me, I was willing him in my mind to tell me. Hoping that my subconscious in my mind was screaming it at him. He did, he told me.

"Cassie, last night at the carnival I knew something was happening because I could hear them. Kirsten and…someone. At first he was walking her into the woods innocently but then she got suspicious. She started questioning him. Then she tried to run, but he was faster. He swooped down and…and he bit her Cassie. He was one of our types, a vampire. You heard her scream in pain of it. He was drinking her blood. Once the vampire realized that people were going to come looking, he poured out the rest of her blood that he hadn't drank to make it look like an animal attack. That is probably what the media will say it is."

"So where is she?" I asked dejectedly.

"We believe that the vampire took her somewhere and burned her body so she wouldn't be found, that's what some do."

"Oh." I said. I had unattached myself from the subject so I could handle it logically as if I were merely talking about someone's assassination in history class. "Well, that's too bad."

"Cassie, it's all right to be sad, you can cry." Rory said slightly disgusted by my emotionless answers. But I didn't care if he didn't like it. This was a lot to deal with but I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to show weakness. I was strong. I had always been strong and confident… most of the time. But I needed to be strong now. And why should I cry she didn't even like me.

"I don't need to cry." My eyes felt as dry as the Sahara . "So what do we do now?" I asked.

Damien answered this time. "You in particular will not do anything. We don't know what we should do. For all we know we the vampire could have moved on."

"Fine" I said. I needed no more on this subject. Rory pushed himself away from the table. The other family members followed suit, dispersing to other rooms. Jill came to me and took my arm pulling me towards her room.

Rory didn't object, which slightly bothered me but what was I supposed to do?

She sat me on the bed and sat herself opposite.

"Cry." She told me.

"What? No."

"Cry." She commanded.

"No! I don't have to and you can't make me."

"I can't make you but you so need to."

"How would you know?" I spat.

"Because it is just natural." She said keeping her tone completely civil.

"Well then I'm not natural."

"Why won't you cry?"

I didn't know why I confessed myself but I did. I told her about how it would make me feel weak and how I didn't want to care because she hadn't cared about me. I told her how strange it was how I would never see her again. And that was when I completely broke down. And I told her everything, not just about Kirsten. I told her about what my mother had said. And how I missed Jonathon. I clued her in on some of the best times and worst times of my childhood. How I wished my dad was around more. How I never wanted to sleep in fear of nightmares. I told her how Rory had confessed to still caring about Kirsten even though he claimed that it was just in a friendly way. And how I didn't think that Rory believed that I loved him. I cried, and cried, and it felt good.

"Cassie," said Rory from the doorway. My head snapped to look at him and I knew that he had heard it all. Jill reached out and rubbed my arm. I smiled at her then clumsily ran to Rory. Into his arms.

He scooped me up and held me cradled to his chest. He walked to his room and sat on the bed with me still in his arms.

"Shh" he sounded.

I looked up into his gorgeous glowing eyes; green and vibrant.

"I could never love anyone more than you." He told me in reassurance to him saying that he still cared about Kirsten. "And the reason that I don't always believe that you love me is because I don't understand how you could. When my type can be such horrible people. We're not even people we're monsters." He stopped for a moment, but I wanted to hear his voice. His smooth honey and cashmere voice. "And your dreams, they are amazing. And they aren't always nightmares are they? I won't be there at night this week so any dreams that you have should be purely from your imagination." My tears had stopped flowing and I was breathing better now. I gave a small smile and snuggled my head against his chest.

The weekend flowed by in blissful agony.

Monday at school there was a memorial in front of her locker. I didn't remember that happening for Jonathon. Of course Kirsten was the all American girl cheerleader popular type. So more people knew her. There were pictures and stuffed animals. The crowd around it made it hard to get to my locker.

I turned the dial on my locker and opened it to see my favorite picture of Kirsten and I posted inside. I hadn't bothered to take it down. I got my books out and slammed my locker shut.

In first period there was an announcement about her blood being found and her likely death. Most of the school already knew though.

My lab partner turned to me.

"Didn't you two used to be like best friends?" he asked.

"Yes" I answered quietly.

"So like what happened?"

"I don't know." I said softly hoping he would shut up.

"What do you mean you don't know? You have to you were best friends."

"I don't know." I repeated.

"Sounds like you were a great friend. Aren't you dating her ex-boyfriend now?"

I didn't answer. He continued to pester me the entire class. When I was walking out he followed me.

"Jeez, you were a horrible friend." he said. I didn't need to hear this I already knew. Out of no where Triston stepped up.

"Hey kid back off." He said. Triston was like my personal angel then. I didn't blame the kid for running, Triston was pretty intimidating.

There was only 2 other kids the entire week that did that, Triston was somehow magically there to scare them both off. I loved how he was such a big brother to me. In drama we were learning about set design, it was pretty boring but the reason was because the teacher was stressed. This Friday was the opening of our school's fall play. I had volunteered to usher. I was to wear all black. My job was to rip tickets. But I got extra credit, so it was worth it. Rory drove me there and told me he would be back later with his family.

I showed up with the other ushers an hour before everything started.

"Cassie!" Mrs. Pembry said as if I had ruined the whole performance even though it hadn't started yet. "Cassie, your jacket is white, I said wear _all_ black"

"I'm sorry. I can take it off." I said. Her brows knit together.

"No, no you can't it is freezing and your parents will kill me if I let you catch a cold. Do you have any jacket that is darker colored?" I thought for I moment. I remembered leaving one in my locker about a week ago but I wasn't sure if it was still there.

"I might." I said "it would be in my locker."

"Well then, run along go get It." she said.

I hurried off down the (for once) vacant halls. I could see from one end to the other. I spotted where my locker was easily due to the tribute to Kirsten in front of our lockers. I slowed my pace. Once I was in front of my locker instead of opening it and getting out my jacket I observed the small tribute. There were flowers (that surely wouldn't last the weekend), pictures, letters, I noticed her favorite shirt. Behind all of it, taped to her locker was a sign that read 'we love you and miss you Kirsten' with a whole bunch of signatures. I moved slowly back to my locker and un-did it. I stared at the picture of us. I grabbed the sweater but didn't close the locker. Mrs. Pembry could wait. I untapped the picture of us and re-taped it next to the sign on Kirsten's locker. I took out a pen and carefully added my name to the paper to somehow tell Kirsten that we loved her. For once I wished that there was a heaven so she could see it, see how much everyone did miss her. How much everyone did really love her. How much I loved her and missed her.

I sat, my back leaning against the locker opposite the display, I was holding one of the stuffed teddy bears out in front of me. Its paw dangled from my thumb and forefinger as if it were some article of dirty clothing.

I hated how most of these things were from people who didn't even really know her.

"Cassie?" my heart lifted at Rory's honey smooth, warm, comforting voice. I turned to him, wondering why he was here but never-the-less glad he was. An angelic smile graced his perfect lips. "Mrs. Pembry sent me to come and find you."

I got to my feet using the lockers for support. I let out a large sigh, "of course she did." I said, with a hint of humor. Rory held out his hand to me. I took it and he picked me up. We stood there momentarily.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"I think it just bothers me. Everyone thought they knew her, that the two of them were best friends. Nobody really knew or really was." I crossed my arms. "But yes I'll be fine." He put me down and wrapped his own arm around my waist. But instead of me leaning into him I leant away. He was always taking care of me, treating me like I was a little child who could be broken by something as trite as emotions.

We were approaching the theater and through the dark I could see Mrs. Pembry running towards us.

"Goodness Cassie, where were you, the doors are going to open in ten minutes and we didn't have a ticket taker."

"I'm sorry" I said quietly.

"Yes, yes, well get inside. I see you have got your jacket. Mr. Haven you may return to the line, thank you for finding her." I walked back into the theater passing everyone in line who groaned when I entered but left them out side. "Okay Cassie, to every person who comes in you will check their ticket and rip off this half." She said pointing at the perforation that led to a smaller half. I was tuning out as she kept rambling. By adding a few alright's and okay's she didn't notice that I wasn't paying attention.

I was staring through the glass doors at everyone in line. All of them were the same and yet different. I wondered how many of them had come in contact with a vampire and not even known. Most of them had, obviously those who went to our school had.

A small group of nearly perfect beings caught my eye. All of them were deathly pale, green eyes, dark lines under the eyes. There were six of them. Three women and three men. There were two who looked like the parents possibly, one male and one female. There was one rather large male whose are was wrapped tightly around a small twig of a girl with orange hair. There was another girl, she had flaxen blond locks. The last had glowing green eyes, a good physique, slightly past his ears messy dirty blond hair. He was staring at me. Rory was staring at me. I gave him a smile and he turned back to the rest of his family.

"What are you going to say to the people Cassie, repeat it to me?" Mrs. Pembry said bringing me back to attention.

"Thank you I hope you enjoy the show?" I said, she looked at me expecting more.

"_And_ please no food or drink in the theater." She said.

"Right, okay I've got it." I gave her a reassuring smile and she quickly pushed open the door. The hordes of people came in as to escape the chill of the air. I repeated my line until I was pretty sure my mouth was numb.

"Are you allowed to come in and watch the show when you're done checking tickets?" Jill asked me.

I looked up startled, I had checked her ticket a while ago. Now I was just waiting to see if any stragglers showed up.

"Yes, I just have to get up at intermission to get the doors and right before it ends also." I said.

"Great, you can come and sit with the rest of us. We kind of already saved a seat." That was when Mrs. Pembry came out.

"Oh hello," she said greeting Jill. "You should hurry on inside we're closing the doors now." I took that as my signal to remove the door stop. We hurried inside and Jill led me to the seats. I sat at the end of the row next to Rory. The lights went down and the play started. I got up reluctantly right before intermission and as soon as the lights came back on I swung open the door. The viewers filed out eager to get into the chill of the night air that they had earlier fled from. When intermission was over, everyone sat back down. The rest of the play went well. Afterwards there was a cast party and I was invited but I didn't really have the energy to go. But I didn't pass up on the piece of cake that they handed me.

I walked with Jill to the cars where the rest of the family was. They had brought the prius and the nice dark car that I guessed belonged to Damien. I was ushered into the prius. It was nice. The ride was smooth. I found that it belonged to Jill and Triston. All of us 'kids' had piled in the prius while Melanie and Damien had taken the other car. We were in front of my house but still sitting in the car, everyone talking.

"Have you guys always lived here?" I asked.

"Nah, we can't live in one place for too long or people get suspicious of us. But hey, you would too if you lived next to fifty year olds who looked like they were sixteen." Triston said.

"Yeah, we lived in London once, I absolutely loved I there!" Elyse gushed. I think that she had been warming up to me lately due to the fact about how much I knew. Maybe she realized that since I knew this much I shouldn't really just leave.

"Eww, Elyse, I hated London . I liked it better in Iowa ." Jill said. I looked at her like she was crazy. Eww , Iowa .

"I think my favorite place will be here." Rory said.

I looked at him raising an eyebrow, which was hard due to my lids practically being closed. "And why would that be?" I asked, pretty sure I already knew the answer.

He looked away as if unattaching himself from the subject, then "it has the best shopping." He answered casually. Everyone in the car laughed at his stupid joke and I put on a face of mock hurt. "Oh don't worry Cassie, you're a close second." I smiled and started to open the door. I got out but before I did Rory told me he would be there soon.

I stumbled up the path to the door and let myself in.

"How was the play?" my mom asked as I walked into the living room to see why the television was on.

"It was good; I'm going to go to bed. I'm really exhausted." I said slouching down my hallway. I opened the door but Rory wasn't there so I fished through my still packed bag from last week for my sweats not bothering to change my shirt. I set my alarm then laid in bed, forcing myself to keep my eyes open, as to wait for Rory. He hadn't spent the night all week due to my "problem", but now that it was fixed he could. Luckily I didn't have to wait long. He appeared next to me in my bed.

"Do you have your alarm set for tomorrow?" he asked, I nodded silently.

"Is your bag packed?" I nodded again.

"Is your ride ready for tomorrow?"

"Damn it" I said finally speaking. I groaned lightly out of frustration.

"It's alright Cassie, I'll drive you." He said.

"Thanks" I said finally dozing off.

_For the first time I wasn't in my dream. It was like I was watching some sort of movie. I couldn't make any noise. I couldn't see myself when I held my hand in front of my face. It was strange. I moved my gaze to the scene unfolding in front of me. There was a man walking down a cobblestone street at night. I couldn't tell who it was because they had their back to me._

_Down the street was an alleyway and beyond that was a large stone castle like building. I looked at the rest of my surroundings. It seemed as if we were in a valley, there were hills around this small town. I looked up at a clock tower in the corner, but couldn't make out the time._

_The sound of water made my head turn and I could see a fountain in the middle of a square._

_The man turned down to the alley way. I tried to move but I couldn't. Luckily for me he took a couple steps backwards. Another person came into view. It was a small girl, thin and she looked as though a gust of wind would blow her away. I still couldn't see the man's face though. This girl obviously held some type of authority._

_She advanced on him a murderous look on her face and I felt a feeling of true fear run from my neck to my toes._

"_I don't care who she is, you need to do something about It." she said._

"_I can't just do that. You don't understand." He said, his voice reminded me of someone but I couldn't out my finger on it._

"_Well then, your only other choice would be to change her."_

"_no." he said resolutely._

I awoke from my dream to the alarm buzzing in my ear. I was on my side; I rolled over to see Rory. He was there. He gave me the most polite smile. I laughed. Then attempted to push him off the bed, knowing it wouldn't hurt him.

"You do know that you can get up from the other side." He said when I had trouble pushing him off.

"Yes I know but this is more fun." I said. I knew that he had let me push him off once I had. I walked to the bathroom and washed my face. When I was done I walked to my mom's room.

"Hey mom, I'm going to go." I said.

"Alright honey, have a good time. Call me if you need anything." she said.

"Sure, love you." I said knowing I wouldn't call.

"I love you sweetie." She said as I left the room.

I peeked into my room. Rory still sat on the floor leaning against the bed.

"I'm ready to go." I said. He got to his feet and handed me my bag. "Thank you" I said. He kissed me on the cheek "thank you again" I said.

"You're welcome times two." He said. "I'll be back in about a minute or two."

"All right, I love you."

"I love you too." He said, his word flowing together perfectly. Then he was gone.

I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar. I jumped at the sound of the honk outside. But I hurried outside, into the warmth of the car. We drove listening to the radio. The song sweet tangerine was playing at first.

"Rory, do want to meet my dad today?"

"No."

"Aww come on. It will be fun. Anyways if you meet him today we can hang out tomorrow instead of you meeting him tomorrow and us not being able to hang out until Sunday."

"Fine." He said.

"Really? I think you'll like him. I know that you've met him before but that was like for a second."

"Okay, okay calm down" he said a grin plastered on his face.

"Sorry I'm just excited." I said.

"Don't be sorry you're cute when you're excited I just don't want you to somehow have a heart attack. You should hear how fast it's beating."

"Ha-ha"

We were in front of his house and I bounded out of the car, and then reached in to grab my bag. But it was gone I looked up slightly befuddled. Rory was holding my bag up.

"Were you looking for this?"

"Why yes I was kind sir, but since you were so eager to grab it why don't you walk it up to the house for me." We both laughed. We were so connected by our friendship that we used to have. We walked up the stone pathway to the house and stood at the door. After a few seconds I knocked.

My dad opened the door but was slightly surprised. A little more surprised than he should be, but he quickly composed himself.

"Hi dad, this is Rory you might not remember him."

"Oh, hello. I'm Robert in case you forgot my name." My dad said.

I looked at Rory, the look of anger then confusion flitted across his face, but then he realized I was looking at him. Rory stuck out his hand and my dad reached out to meet him. They had a good shake. A little too good. It looked like they were each trying to break the others hand. I thought that strange because I was sure if Rory was really trying my dads hand would be broken.

We were invited in and we walked easily. I looked clumsy and ungraceful next to them. I had never realized just how messy my walk was. I tried to make it neater. But succeeded in falling. I didn't hit the ground but it was a strange thing that happened. I was slanted towards the ground just being still. My fathers arms were against my shoulders to keep my up but at the same time Rory's arms were wrapped around my waist.

"Umm… will you guys please put me down?" They complied, but there was a strange competitive feeling in the air.

"I'm sorry Robert but I just remembered that Cassie left her other bag at home, I think we should go and get it."

"I did?" I asked, I wasn't going to be a complete idiot and say that I didn't have one. I doubt Rory would say something like that unless there was something important.

"Yes." He said.

"Okay dad, I guess I'll see you soon." I was about to kiss my dad on the cheek but was pulled away and out the door. Rory towed me all of the way into his car and then sped off very fast.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked upset.

"I'm not going to be able to spend the night this week." He said deadly calm, but that didn't intimidate me.

"What?! Why? No, never mind please answer my question." I said.

He was silent.

"Tell me. " I demanded. Again he didn't answer

"Damn it Rory tell me!"

"You know what, fine Cassie, I'll tell you. Your father is a vampire." He said

"Rory if he were a vampire his eyes would be green, not blue!" I shouted but as my words reverberated in the confined space of the car, I understood. He didn't drink animal blood.


	11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"No" I said more to convince myself than argue. "Rory, that's impossible." I repeated like a child.

"Cassie, I know that it's hard to believe but, it's the truth. And you have to understand to keep yourself safe."

"Rory, it's not that I don't want to believe you." Though that was all it really was. "Rory how can you even be sure."

"What do you mean how can I even be sure?!"

"I mean exactly that. You were changed practically yesterday; you have no idea what you are talking about!" I shouted. He was silent for a moment, keeping his eyes closed though he spoke. It was quiet and calm and it scared me.

"I have to bring you to my house to pick up an extra bag of clothes for you."

I sat quietly as we drove but I couldn't help but asking.

"Rory, where are you going to get clothes from for me?"

"Melanie, Elyse, and Jill went shopping for you a while ago." He said not moving his head to look at me. At his words my guilt worsened for yelling at him. The rest of the ride was quiet. When we got to Rory's house I only got to sit in the car alone momentarily before he was back and we were driving again.

He stopped in front of my dad's house. I sat in the car for a moment before getting out; I did silently hoisting up my bag with me. I closed the door slightly sullen that he hadn't said anything. I turned and started to walk, but spun on my heel when I heard the window roll down.

"Just keep yourself safe, I'll see you Monday." And with that he drove off, I watched his car until it rounded the corner. I slowly turned and trudged back up to the door. I arranged my face as best I could to look happy. I opened the door.

"I'm back dad." My voice broke, and I took a deep breath to choke back the sob I was holding in. No, I told myself. I won't be some prissy little girl who cries over a stupid argument with a stupid boy. But Rory wasn't a stupid boy, He was _the_ boy. Of this I was almost sure.

"Cass? Are you alright? Did Rory do something to you?" he asked like a concerned father should, not like a vampire.

"No." I answered. Rory had done something to me, but it wasn't what my dad was talking about.

"Are you sure?" he asked again. What if Rory was right? Would it matter? No, it hadn't mattered about Rory either.

"No, really everything is fine." I said looking at him pleading for no more questions. "So what are we going to do today?"

"Well, he said judging whether he should ask one more time if I was okay. But he seemed satisfied. "I was thinking that we could go to a movie." He said.

Of course, I thought, a movie. Somewhere no sunlight would be. Shut up! I told myself. Don't buy in to Rory's stupid little ideas.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." I said.

The movie turned out to be good. But the entire time I couldn't help the suspicion of my father from pushing its way to the front of my thoughts. I just didn't understand why Rory would lie about such a thing. I decided to make a pact with myself. I would look for as many vampiristic things as I could without scolding myself. If by the end of the week he had the characteristics of a …vampire, I would apologize to Rory. But not until then.

The drive home was short I sat in the back of my dads black BMW… with extra tinted windows. Why were they tinted, so the sunlight couldn't get in?

I jumped out and looked up at the skies. They were still bright but the sun would set in about an hour.

"Cass," my dad said as he rolled down his window while still in the car. "I'm going to go out and pick up some groceries; we don't have any in the house. Do you want anything special?"

"Not really, just nothing with meat." I said.

"Oh yes, I forgot you're a vegetarian. All right, I'll be back in an hour or so." He said with a slight chuckle.

"'kay" I said walking into the house. I sat on my bed that I'd bought last time he visited. I wrapped myself in the blankets, quickly falling asleep.

_Again I wasn't in this. My body appeared invisible to me and I couldn't move. I was on the hill that the haven's owned. In front of me stood both my father and Rory. I was surprised to see how equally matched they were. How similar yet different they looked._

"_Rory" My father greeted._

"_Robert" Rory said my dads name in a greeting._

"_You obviously know what I am and I know what you are." My father spat. It was unusual for me to see him sound so malicious._

"_Yes." Rory said. He looked like he wanted to say something more but held his tongue._

"_Now you will listen to me and obey." My father commanded. "You will not stay near Cassandra; you will not harm her in any way. You will not go near her or bring any harm to her. If I find out anything happens to her I will personally rip you to shred and burn you." I wasn't surprised when Rory let out a sarcastic remark but after he looked scared as if his words could get him in to trouble. From the scene so far I had a feeling it wasn't that he wanted to make a good impression._

"_Hah! What you think I'm going to hurt her? Well, take a look at your eyes. You're more likely to hurt her."_

_My dad reached his hand under Rory's jaw bone and squeezed. I screamed at him to stop, though it didn't make any audible noise. Rory only winced._

"_Never will you say anything like that ever again." My father said in a deadly whisper._

I opened my eyes and gasped for air. I had been holding my breath. I sat up and pinched the bridge of my nose. I looked at the clock. I couldn't make out the numbers, I rubbed my eyes. I knew that it couldn't be a decent hour because there was no light in my room. The clock said 3:59 AM. Great.

I lay back down on my bed, to fall back asleep. It was to no avail. I tossed and turned but sleep didn't come. I even turned my pillow over to see if the cooler side would soothe me into sleep.

I silently pushed back the covers and stepped lightly onto the floor. The padded carpet made no noise. The cold of the house caused me to pull one of the blankets off of my bed. I was still wearing my sweats from the day before.

I tip-toed into the living room and arranged myself and my blanket on the couch. I reached under one of the cushions to find the remote. I took it out and flipped on the TV. There wasn't anything really interesting on, but after all it was only four in the morning.

"Cass?" I jumped at the sound of my dad's voice.

"Dad, you scared me." I said.

"What are you doing up?"

"I just had a bad dream and I couldn't get back to sleep." I said.

"What was it about?" he asked with a bit more intensity than warranted.

"I can't remember." I lied quickly.

"Are you sure?" I nodded.

"What are you doing up?" I tried to ask innocently, but my suspicion made me sound like I was interrogating him.

"I heard the television and I was wondering why." He said. That seemed simple enough. I knew that vampires didn't sleep though.

I turned my attention back to the television where a woman was desperately trying to have her husband forgive her for cheating on him. Stupid soap operas, I thought. My dad and I sat on the couch though. Neither of us ended up falling asleep though I watched him out of the corner of my eye the whole time. Morning came eventually, though I could barely tell. The skies were an overcast gray. There wasn't a glimmer of sunshine.

I ate some of the oatmeal that my dad had bought yesterday. He had bought a lot. It was like when a kid goes shopping and they don't know exactly what to get so they get everything that looks edible.

When I was done I walked slowly to my bathroom. Unpacking my shampoo, conditioner, and razor from the plastic back it was in was a noisy affair. I turned on the hot water and got in letting the shampoo suds slowly wash and slide down my body. I didn't need to rush.

I turned the water off and stepped out. The cold of the house instantly chilling my body, sending goose-bumps down my freshly shaven legs. I staggered back to my room almost slipping on the linoleum bathroom floor due to my wet feet.

When I unzipped the bag of clothing that was from Jill, Elyse, and Melanie I felt overwhelmed by emotion. They had been so thoughtful and I had treated part of their family like crap.

Sunday passed at a snails pace. In the late afternoon my dad left, he said he had some errands to do. I couldn't help but wonder if he was going to see Rory like in my dream.

I sat at the computer looking at silly sites like seventeen and myspace. I didn't have anything to do. I logged on to Google and clicked the news section to see if anything had happened. I typed in _Marin_ and clicked enter. The first thing that popped up was a breaking news report.

_TEEN'S LIFE TAKEN AT CARNIVAL, NEW INFORMATION_

_Kirsten Farsby, 16, went missing on Halloween night. She was a prominent high school student at Marin High School . She was active in cheerleading, student council, and a great friend to many. On Halloween there was a mysterious scream that deeply resembled her voice. Later officials went to look for her body and find only a pool of blood. A sample was sent to a local laboratory. We have just gotten confirmation that it was hers. We are sad to say that the amount of blood present made it impossible for her to be alive. The belief is that she came in contact with a mountain lion which ended up carrying her off. There is still a search team looking for her body but that is about all that we can do. Below we have some animal safety precautions._

I didn't bother to read the safety precautions. It wasn't like she was really taken by a mountain lion.

I turned the computer off, not bothering to go through the proper procedure of it. I didn't want to be tempted to look at any more information about her.

I decided to do some homework that I had been neglecting. Trudging to my room I fished out my Spanish binder. On the front under the plastic was a picture of us together at the mall. I roughly opened the binder and started conjugating words.

"Cass!" my dad called from the front of the house. I had written almost my whole report in English though only an outline was due for Monday.

"I'm in my room" I said in a normal conversation voice. It was my type of a test. If he could hear than that was an affirmation to the vampire theory.

"Hey Cass, I brought you a burrito." He said. He had heard me.

"Thanks, will you sit and eat with me?"

"Sorry, I already ate in the car. But I'll still sit with you."

"Nah, that's all right." He gave me an apologetic smile and handed me the burrito.

I ate it faster than I would have thought. I guess writing took a lot out of me. Once I was done I walked into the kitchen where my dad was going through the mail.

"Any for me?"

"Not unless you want the bills" he joked.

"I guess I'll pass on those." I sat at the kitchen table. "So, how have things been?" I asked.

"Fine I guess, just busy." He said non-chalantly.

"Do you want me to help with anything? I've already finished my homework."

"That's all right Cass; I've got it pretty much covered." I gave him my best smile. "You are getting older everyday. Before I know it you're going to be married." I scrunched up my nose. I hated it when he got all sentimental.

I glanced at the wall clock. It said it was 9:42 PM. I needed to start to get ready for bed.

"I'm going to bed, love you dad." I said as I walked down the hallway. "Shit" I said under my breath. I quickened my pace and grabbed my cell phone, dialing Jenn's number. It rang twice and then she picked up.

"Hey Cassie." She said.

"Hey Jenn, I'm just calling to tell you, you don't need to pick me up tomorrow."

"Oh, is Rory driving you?"

"No, I'm with my dad."

"'Kay. I'll tell the others tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, that's great. See ya."

"See ya."

I hung up. That took a load off of my mind. I then washed my face, brushed my teeth, and changed my clothes. I got into the uncomfortably lonely bed and urged myself to fall asleep.

I didn't dream that night. My speculation on it was little. My guess was that Rory hadn't come last night to see me. Those were the only nights that I ever remembered my dreams. I wondered what he thought of my dream.

I went through my normal routine of getting ready for school. When my dad and I left in the car for school there was no conversation. I was nervous about what I was going to do. I would see Rory today but how would I handle it.

The car stopped. I stepped out after bidding my father good-bye. The sky was still overcast. I walked up the few steps and into the building. I walked down the halls feeling awkwardly alone. I had grown used to Rory walking with me. I rounded the corner to walk down the hall to my locker.

Rory leaned against the locker next to mine. Some of the girls were taking advantage of my absence but he didn't seem to care for their attention. He looked up and our eyes met. I instantly felt myself turning around and heading in the opposite direction. He called after me but I pretended like I hadn't heard.

I walked up the stairs carefully as to avoid an incident like the first day he had been here. I entered my chemistry class right before the warning bell rang. I took down the chair and sat in it. The entire class I listened vigilantly but never raised my hand. When someone asked me a question, I answered in a monotone voice.

In P.E. we played dodge ball because of the cold outdoors. I was a popular target, but I didn't mind sitting on the 'out' bench. That was pretty much how the day went until lunch. The bell rang signaling the end of fifth period, Spanish for me. I stepped out and walked into the halls. I didn't want to go to the cafeteria. But where else would I go.

I walked to the library. The last time I had been in here was with Jonathon. I decided to sit at one of the study tables; the religion section had too many painful memories. I pulled out my back pack and got to work. Before I knew it the bell rang. The day continued and I did too. At the end of school I called my dad, to pick me up. The bus didn't rum to his house.

At home I read books and watched the prime-time television shows. My dad didn't eat with me again. I went to bed promptly at ten, anxious to start a new day. Not that the next was any better. I followed that pattern all week. I knew that I should apologize to Rory, but I couldn't swallow my pride.

On Saturday I packed up all of my things and said goodbye to my dad. I was almost positive that Rory was right. From all of the things that I had seen over the week. By the time I was back at my mom's it was well into the evening. I did a load of wash of all of my clothing and went to bed.

_I could see myself sitting in the library. It was raining outside. My face looked awestruck and scared. I was hyperventilating. Over head the bell rang obnoxiously loud._

I woke up, slightly confused by my short dream. I had just sad there looking scared and helpless. The only good thing about the dream was that it meant that Rory had come that night. I had slept in to about one, which was abnormally late for me. I stumbled down the hall. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table doing a design drawing.

"So sleeping beauty is finally up." I just made a noise for my response. I put a bagel in the toaster and slumped myself in a chair parallel to my mom.

The toaster pinged. I got up put jam on it and wolfed it down. I retreated to the couch where I stayed for the rest of the day.

I went to bed early but still fell asleep fast. I had the same dream again, which meant that Rory had been there. But this time it wasn't the bell in my dream that woke me. I distinctly felt a pair of icy lips press against my own. I didn't move. Once they were gone I cautiously opened my eyes. Rory wasn't there anymore. Great, I thought, our first kiss and I'm asleep. Seconds later my alarm went off. I stood stiffly and began my morning.

That morning I had a doctor's appointment. I was a bit aggravated. I had wanted to see Rory. But now I wouldn't be able to until lunch. I wasn't going to be back until fourth period.

All was well with me apparently, or at least that was what my doctor said. My mom drove me to school. I checked in, in the office. As I walked to my fourth period class I worried myself about what I was going to say to Rory. Maybe I should go to the library first to think of something. Yes, that is what I'll do. But I had a feeling that I wanted to do something to distract myself from the real issue. English and Spanish passed quickly.

I hurried down to the library, where the librarian had become accustomed to seeing me. I sat in an off to the side table.

I pulled out my Spanish binder and unhooked a piece of binder paper, leaving the binder on the table. I took out a pen and got to work. I jotted down little things to say.

"Were you and Kirsten friends?" a melodic female voice asked from across the table. I guessed she had seen the picture on the front of my binder.

"Yes." I answered without looking up.

"It's so sad what happened to her, don't you think?" the beautiful voice asked.

I sighed "yes."

"Did you really even care about her??" the voice had become harsh. I looked up taken aback.

I was met by the face of Kirsten, her glowing blue eyes burning into my soul.

"Wha …what are you doing here?" I asked trying to keep my cool.

"Oh, I was just in town." She said mockingly. "What do you think Cassie? What have you gotten stupid since I left?" I leaned forward and whispered my words.

"You are supposed to be dead." The last word sent a chill down my spine.

"Oh yes, I guess I forgot about that. Well I should hurry along then before anyone sees me. " She sighed; her breath had those same luxurious undertones as the way Rory smelled. I was slowly piecing things together. Kirsten was a vampire. She stood and swiftly and walked over to the fire alarm. I didn't want her to go. I needed to talk to her, my face showed it. "Don't worry Cassie, you'll see me again, before…" her words drifted off into nothingness.

"Before what?" I asked a sense of unease filling my stomach.

"Before, how do I say this politely?" She pondered. "Before you are 'tragically taken'" she said quoting the article I had read about her death. My face paled. Kirsten pulled the alarm it rang obnoxiously loud. I saw people moving in the hallway. I turned to see her inconspicuously slip out the door.

I was sitting in the library, the sky an overcast gray, the buzzing continued, though almost everyone had filtered out of the building. My face pale and scared, I shook my head and grabbed my stuff. I walked as fast as I could without falling. My knees were weak, they felt like Jell-O.

I pushed open the glass door into the open air. I was aware that as I stood on the elevated surface next to the building that all the students who stood in the parking lot were staring at me. I just didn't care. I was scanning the sea of people for Rory. My gorgeous, perfect, caring, never wrong Rory.

I spotted him his golden hair in messy disarray. He looked nervous; I started my way towards him as fast as I could. I stumbled down the few steps and into the parking lot. I ran as fast as I could towards Rory, shoving past people and ignoring their questions about why I was still inside. I ended up running right into Rory, which was about as painful as running into a brick wall.

I rubbed my head with my hand and whispered urgently. "Rory, I really need to talk to you. I'm so sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have said any of those things I said. I love you Rory, I really do." I hugged him tightly, "please don't ever leave me." I whispered into his chest. I knew that I was causing a scene; I could feel the overly nosy stares boring into my back.

"Let's talk, over there" he said pointing to a planter box. I thought that a good idea, it would give me a chance to tell him about Kirsten. We walked over to the other side of the giant vegetation filled box.

"Rory," I started quickly. "Kirsten, I just saw her. She is…" I stopped he was staring at me strangely. Not surprised or 'I think you're insane' strangely. It was more like 'I'm captivated by you' strangely. I appreciated his flattery but now wasn't the time. "Rory pay attention, this is really important." I said frustrated by his lack of interest. "Kirsten she is a vampire." I said.

"You love me right?" Rory asked.

I sighed. "Yes, but what has that got to do with this." He didn't answer instead he just asked me another question.

"You trust me right?"

"Yes."

"You don't want me to leave, right?"

I blushed. "Yes, but I still don't understand what this has to do with Kirsten being back and a vampire." He pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around my waist in a steel vice of a grip. He gave me a grin as I wriggled trying to get a bit more room. I couldn't help from my eyes flashing to his teeth. They weren't fangs, but I already knew that. They were perfectly straight and a dazzling shade of white. I felt uneasy because he still wasn't giving me any room.

"I want to change you Cassie." He whispered into my ear. I felt my body go limp.

I wanted to run and I wanted to now, but his arms held me in place with no chance to escape.

"Rory I don't think that that is such a good idea." I said my voice shaking.

"Why? Do you not love me? Do you not want to be together forever?" he knew what to say to get to me.

"I do love you, and in a perfect world we will spend eternity together, but just I'm not ready for that not now." I tried to take a step back, but it was impossible.

"Why not now?" he said. "It's just one little bite. Do you not trust me? I'll be able to do it. Are you afraid that I'll lose my control? Well it isn't my fault that you smell so tempting, I can just imagine the taste now." He was actually thinking about drinking my blood, I stood shocked and disgusted. This wasn't him, he was acting so different. I took the moment that he was reminiscing about how my blood might taste to pull away from his weaker grasp.

I sprinted at top speed into the crowd of students. I ran right up to Jill, Elyse, and Triston. They looked at me like I was an escapee from an insane asylum. I suddenly felt stupid; I shouldn't have gone to them. Who said that I could trust them anyways? I could see my scared face reflecting in their eyes.

"Cassie, what's wrong?" Jill asked empathetically.

I quickly turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

"Cassie?" Elyse called. I laughed out loud at myself. How was I this stupid? I was running from the possibility of three different vampires coming after me. My father, my best friend, and my boyfriend were all a threat to me. Talk about emotionally scarred for life, if mine was even that much longer. I felt to stone strong hands grasp my shoulders; I shuddered in fear then looked up to Triston's face.

"Cassie, what is going on? Are you all right?"

I gave him a weak smile. "No".

He put his hand against my back and steered me back toward the other Haven's minus Rory.

"What is going on?" Elyse asked as soon as I got back.

"I don't think that this is the best place to discuss it." I said quietly.

"That's fine; I'll drive us back to the house." Triston said. All around people were milling about which made it less obvious for people to notice us when we walked to the car and drove away.

The drive was full speed to the house. We walked into the house.

When we arrived Melanie was in the living room but Damien was working somewhere. Triston quickly made the call to him.

"Damien, we need you home now."

Pause for Damien's response.

"Yes it is very important."

Pause.

"We will explain when you get here."

Pause.

"Everyone except Rory, try and find where he is and get him here."

"NO!" I interjected without thinking, Triston looked at me.

There was another pause while he listened to Damien.

"Damien, it would actually be better if you didn't get him, but please be here soon."

Triston hung up the phone. Everyone walked to the living room and sat. They waited for me to sit with them but I remained standing. I still wasn't sure if I should be here. I was probably putting myself in major jeopardy. And even if I wasn't, how was I supposed to explain what had happened between Rory and me? 'Oh yea, so Rory, being a vampire just tried to trick me into letting him suck me dry.' I could only imagine how offensive that would sound.

Explaining about Kirsten seemed like cake compared to my Rory ordeal. Damien walked in the door. He put his briefcase down and sat in a chair. Everyone's undivided attention was on me, I shifted uncomfortably.

First I told them about Kirsten, their faces didn't move a fraction of an inch so I continued on about Rory. Since I didn't know how to explain what had happened I just said the whole story of exactly what happened.

"He just wasn't acting like _him_." I said when I was done. I thought about my story, was I missing some extremely obvious thing. Aside from him being a vampire that is.

Damien opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then closed it. He slumped back in his chair and closed his eyes. Everyone stared at him intently. He opened his eyes again, his forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"What is it?" Melanie asked confused as the rest of us.

"Cassie is right he isn't himself." He paused. "I'm not quite sure how to explain it. It's like he has two voices in his head, and one of them definitely isn't his." He was right he didn't know how to explain. I didn't understand him at all. How can he be thinking two different voices?

"I don't get it." Elyse said.

"Neither do I" Jill joined.

"I'm not sure I understand, how does that even make sense?" I said.

"I'm going to have to agree with them." Triston said.

"He has someone else's voice in his thoughts." Damien said his eyes closed again. "I really don't understand this; the other voice is a girl. She keeps telling him to do things, but he is refusing." He had an abrupt pause, then "Jill, Triston, take Cassie up to your room, lock the door and don't come down until I tell you to. If you feel the need to leave the house under an emergency of Cassie's safety, do so immediately." I looked at him like he was insane. I stood, petrified. But it wasn't my choice to move or not, Jill had picked me up and raced to her room. Triston had stayed momentarily; talking to Damien then followed us.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked as soon as I was set down.

Triston shot Jill a glance then turned to me.

"Cassie, you know how some of us have 'gifts'?" I nodded slowly. "Damien believes that Rory is being controlled by someone's 'gift. You see, my gift is to persuade people to do things. But it is more like to buy something or agree with someone. I couldn't make some actually _do_ something. They person who is being 'persuaded' by me doesn't know that I am having power over them. This person however the controller, their gift seems to be that they have control over someone's body and words."

I nodded again and he took it to continue talking.

"This girl, she is controlling Rory's actions, through his brain. Telling him what to do. Even though Rory is refusing, he can't stop himself." He finished.

"Who in their right mind would want to do that?" I asked.

"We think we may have an idea, based on your story." Jill piped up.

"Who?" I asked completely dumbstruck.

"Kirsten." She said. I felt my eyebrow crease, my throat tightens up, and the feeling of hurt that I had been suppressing rise to the top of my emotions.

"I still don't understand why we have to be up here rather than downstairs." I choked out.

"Kirsten told Rory to come here. So the others are going to try to somehow snap him out of this control." Triston said.

"Oh."

There was a sudden crash from downstairs that made my heart jump. We could all hear the conversation going on downstairs.

"Where is she?!?" Rory yelled.

"Who are you talking about." Damien lied confidently.

"You know damn right who I am talking about. Cassie!" he continued to shout.

"We have no idea. Why is it so important that you see her anyway?" Melanie pitched in.

I was surprised about how confident and calm they were, but I didn't know how this was going to break the control that Kirsten had over Rory. There was a small crash from down stairs and it sounded like some type of tussle had broken out.

"This is our queue to leave." Jill said throwing me onto her back and following Triston's lead of jumping out the window. I was sure that I wouldn't survive the impact of her hitting the ground but miraculously I did, I barely even felt a thing. She took off running. The wind whipped past my face as I had no idea where we were going. I could only hope that it was somewhere safe, somewhere that everyone would be safe.

But my biggest hope was that I would get to see Rory again and it wouldn't be right before he killed me.


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

We ended up in San Francisco . I sat in the chair next to the window, looking down at the Polly-pocket sized figures below the 15th floor of the Marriott hotel. I had been sitting here for the past three hours. I couldn't do anything else. Triston had gone back to Damien to see if anything else was happening. I was left in this dreaded hotel room with Jill.

I had stopped truly listening an hour ago. All of the noise was confusing and didn't make sense. The traffic form below and the radio, I had merely turned my ears off to the outside commotion. I had turned it into background noise, a gentle hum.

I listened to the rhythmic beating of my heart. I could feel the blood pulsing through my veins. And I was glad that I could.

How would my death be played off, if I did indeed die? What would they tell my mother? What would my mother think when she got home from work and I wasn't there? School had surely ended by now. But I couldn't bring my mind away from the question of what people would think of my death. I was playing different scenarios in my head.

"Cassie?" Jill's voice said in a concerned tone, breaking my reverie.

"Yes?" I asked with a mild amount of care for what she had to say. I knew that I should care more, but I just couldn't. My mind was still entangled in thoughts of Rory and Kirsten.

She was about to talk but her face troubled, "never mind" she had said. I knew what had stopped her from talking. The look of my face, I could see it reflected in her eyes. My face was hurt, it looked tired, but what had probably made her stop the most was the shocking morbidity of my expression.

I turned my head back to look out the window, but instead of looking down I looked straight ahead. I focused my eyes so that they would look at the reflection in the glass. I did not look at myself in the reflection, for fear that it would prove to be worse looking, but I looked at the room. I looked at my surrounding.

In the middle of the room was a large bed; on either side were bed rests with lamps, and no doubt inside the drawer a bible. I had always wondered why they only had bibles and not copies of the Koran or the Torah.

Directly opposite the bed was a plasma television that was mounted to the wall. A bit to the left was a desk which Jill sat at.

I looked down at the busy streets once more, and then closed the curtain, casting darkness into the room. I got up from the chair and walked to the door that led to the pathetically small bathroom.

I forced my self to crack a smile. Even with a smile I looked morose. But I couldn't help it. I couldn't help that I was in love with the person who wanted to murder me. Of course the real person who wanted me dead was my back-from-the-dead-ex-bestfriend-vampire-who-used-to-date-my-boyfriend.

There was a knock at the bathroom door. I opened it slowly. Jill stood in front of me.

"Why don't you come sit with me?" she asked in a slightly maternal/best friend way.

"Fine." I said though I was secretly happy. I knew that I couldn't be left alone for much longer without going insane.

I pulled myself onto the bed and curled my legs up to my chest so I could rest my chin on them.

"Do you want to play a board game?" she asked. I admired her kindness to me. I gave her my kindest most sincere smile.

"Definitely." I said. Why not, a board game would keep me occupied. Jill hopped off the bed and glided to the desk, where she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out three board games; monopoly, life, and battleship.

"Which one?" she inquired.

"Err...life." I chose.

She put the other games back in the drawer and began to set up the board. I scooted back so there would be room.

"Do you want to go to college?" she asked

"Of course I do!" I said defensively, and then I realized that she was talking about the game. "Oh, sorry." We both laughed and I literally felt the stress ease. "But yes I do want to go to college."

We started the game. About halfway through I had my own comment, it was mostly to me but I said it out loud anyway.

"Where's the fall in love with a vampire square?" I asked jokingly.

"Silly Cassie, you have to have the idiot addition of life for that square." We both laughed again. Jill looked down, and I could sense a change in the atmosphere in the room. Not that I knew what it was.

Jill looked back up to me. I suddenly had the intense urge to look away, but I remembered my manors that had been drilled into my head, and merely focused on something in her general direction so it wouldn't seem rude.

"Cassie, I think I'm going to buy you the _idiot's_ version, you truly deserve it." I was hurt by her dissonant word and didn't quite understand her reason for using them. I dropped my head not caring for my manners. I was fighting with myself not to cry. I took a deep breath and held it, testing myself to not cry. I then lifted my head and stared at her with the utmost intensity.

"Why would you say something like that?" I asked.

"Think about it Cassie, you do deserve it. You constantly put yourself in danger. And really, you're such an idiot that you can't even walk across stable ground. Not to mention your choices. I mean, how could you just betray your best friend like that?" This wasn't Jill speaking. It couldn't be. Only Kirsten would use that last sentence.

I moved myself so I was standing next to the bed instead of sitting on it.

"I think I should be leaving now." I said. I didn't know why but it seemed like the smartest thing to do.

"Oh please do," Jill said, or rather Kirsten had her say. "I will thoroughly enjoy watching your stupidity with no one to help you." I turned and walked with much careful ness out of the door. I calmly walked down the hall and pressed the button for the elevator. I had no idea where I was going. But I knew that it was much less safe to stay here.

There was a pinging noise and the golden elevator doors slid open. I stepped in and pressed the lobby button. As I was moving down I started thinking, that if Kirsten suddenly had control of Jill if she had let go of her control over Rory. Or could she control more than one person at once?

The metal doors slid open and I walked out, out of the elevator, out of the lobby, out the doors with the doormen. The sidewalk was abuzz with the sounds of people talking. I walked a little but couldn't help myself from looking up to where I guessed the window of my room had been. I didn't see anyone there, but of course it could easily be the wrong window.

I continued with my walking, the sun was starting to dip behind the tall buildings; I tugged my sweatshirt closer around my body. I wondered if Triston had gotten back by now.

I had been walking for about half of an hour with no idea of where I was. I was worried that it was getting dark. Not only because I had no where to sleep, but with no sun it would allow Kirsten to come out. I guess that was where the myth of vampires sleeping at day comes from, how the 'traditional' vampire can't go in sunlight.

The temperature had dropped to a frigid mid to low forties. My teeth were starting to chatter.

What was my mother thinking now? Had she called the police? Had the school called her when I didn't show up after the fire-drill? I guess this is what happens when you go insane. You think of meaningless pointless things.

I was starting to get the feeling that I was being followed or watched. Perhaps paranoia was taking over, but maybe it was something else. I started listening to the pattern of footsteps from the people around me. I had never noticed how different everyone's were.

Though I couldn't pick out the sound of anyone following me, the feeling of apprehension still consumed me. I an act that I could only justify by my curiosity I sprinted ahead of the small crowd moving toward the cross walk. Without pausing to press the walk button I ran through the moving cars, though I got many honks and outraged yells from the drivers I was appreciative of my actions that I had done; for when I turned to look at the opposite corner, stuck on the other side of the crosswalk stood Rory. He had a cruel smile on his face that made my stomach churn.

I turned myself around and sprinted away. I knew that it was somewhat foolish because if he really wanted to catch me he could. But I doubted that he wanted to expose his identity, and I trusted Kirsten didn't want that either.

I had no clue where I was going, but every time I looked behind me he was there. I hadn't an idea about how he was keeping up unnoticed.

I burst into a Macy's and ran trough the men's department and onto an escalator, where instead of waiting for it to move I ran up the steps shoving people out of the way. I could hear their angry remarks, but I didn't have the time to listen and be reprimanded.

My heart pounded loud in my ears.

My adrenaline pumped.

I ran, not caring. It was like I was in a labyrinth; running up and down escalators and through the different sections, just trying to lose him on my trail. But every time I glanced behind me he was there. Casual as could be but still with that sickly twisted smile. He didn't even look tired, just amused.

It seemed that my attempts to rid of him were useless. I would have never though that I should want get rid of him. But even now, I didn't really. Maybe that was the problem. I couldn't get myself to truly want him to leave; this was keeping me from getting away from him. No, it's Kirsten I want away from. Too bad she is the one in control.

I knew that I should stay inside, somewhere with cameras, they wouldn't do anything in front of cameras and onlookers…would they?

But I didn't have anywhere else to run, anywhere else to hide, and so I ran outside. Out of the safe building and into the cool night air.

The air gave me the sensation of when you're boiling in your body but your skin feels like an ice cube.

My heart beat a steady drum-like noise in my ears.

I was getting a headache.

But I needed to keep running.

I needed to find a way to my love.

I ran down into the underground garage of union square. I ignored the signs that said not to enter when not in a vehicle. I knew that this would be a good place to hide, a lot of spaces. But would that work to my advantage or Kirsten/Rory's?

Running around the bend and up to the next floor, became even more tiresome after the first two times. I got in an elevator and jammed the up button with my thumb a couple of times.

To my dismay it started moving down. Was that Rory's doing? Are these my final moments? Did I just end my life in an act of laziness?

But to my relief it was a family returning from a long day of shopping who boarded. The elevator started to move up to the families desired floor, I too got out there.

There was a pinging sound from the second elevator, out of fear I started to dart away, but not before my glance to the golden haired boy confirmed my fear. I ran up to the next floor on the slanted ground. Once at the top I ran as fast as I could, I ran the entire length of the garage floor, then I started my descent running down the bend.

I four floors away from the ground level.

I was three floors away.

I was two and a half floors away from the ground when I stumbled and fell. My face pressed hard against the cold cement.

I held my breath.

Get up Cassie! Get up! I told myself.

"CASSIE!" called Rory in his honey smooth voice, it was only then that I got up and continued my retreat to the bottom. I dashed out into the open night air. I was so confused with myself.

The moments that I had lain on the ground I had almost stayed there. I had wanted to stay there, but fear had gotten the better of me.

I jumped up the stairs above me, racing down the pavement.

I wished I had stayed where I was when I fell.

I should have listened to Elyse when she told me to stay away. I should have listened to everyone's warnings.

Every day since I had found out I should have listened. I didn't like listening that much, but those were the times when I should have. My life had changed completely since September. It was all because of _him_.

Without him my life wouldn't have a point at all, none whatsoever. If I didn't have him in this world with me I didn't want to be in it. If I were to leave this world, I would want it to be like this. This way at least he would be happy.

I stopped where I was, the crowded San Francisco union square. It was loud, people were everywhere; moving, talking. I didn't want to run anymore. I suddenly wished he were here with me. I didn't care what that entailed.

I hoped it would make him happy. I hoped that it would be worth it to him. Now he would finally get what he wanted. I thought as he approached my unmoving figure.

He would finally get my blood.

---

My eyes were closed. I felt like I had just woken up, though I knew that I wasn't in my bed from how whatever was under me felt. But where was I then? What was the last thing that I remember?

The last thing was that I was standing in Union Square with Rory. He had lifted his fist and knocked me on the head. Was I still in Union Square …or was I dead?

My eyes shot open at that.

Around me I took in what seemed like a living room. I couldn't be dead; I wouldn't have had the brain to think about it if I was. That was good.

But why was I here? It wasn't anywhere that looked familiar.

"Don't you know where you are Cassie?" Kirsten asked from my left bitterly.

"n-no." I stammered. I turned my head to look at her and brought my body into a raised position so I wasn't lying on the ground.

"Well that's a shame, I thought you would. I thought that are friendship really meant something. I remember." she said. Behind Kirsten stood Rory, resolutely, his face held no expression.

"Where are we?" I said. It was intended to come out sounding like a dignified command for her to tell me but it ended up sounding feeble and scared.

"Let's see," Kirsten mock pondered. "once upon a time about two years ago, a girl named Cassie and a girl named Kirsten were in a car being driven to Cassie's cousin's house. Little did Kirsten know that Cassie was a complete bitch and would one day betray her. But at this time they were best friends. So, as Cassie and Kirsten looked out the windows while driving through San Mateo . She was looking at the gorgeous houses. She saw one that she liked but before she could point it out to Cassie the car had turned the corner. But before Kirsten knew it they were pulling up to the cousin's house. Later that night Kirsten convinced Cassie to sneak out with her. They walked back to the house that they had seen earlier. As they stood in front of it Kirsten sighed and said 'This is the house that I want Rory and me to live in when we're married.'"

"So that's where we are?" I said calmly. She gave me a curt not. "You're sick!" I spat at her.

"Watch it Cassie! I believe I have the upper hand here, you wouldn't want me to get angry, now would you?"

I took a deep breath, she did have a better advantage.

"I was looking for a place to bring you and I saw that this house was for sale. And I knew that this would be the place." That would make sense to why it was empty.

"I don't get why you are doing this." I stated not meeting her eyes.

"Why I'm doing this? I'm doing this because the love of my life broke my heart for my best friend, who then lied to me about it, and other than that…because I can." Had she always been this viciously cruel?

"You see," Kirsten continued, she was walking into the room rather than just standing at the door way. "What I really wanted to do was make you break up with Rory. You understand don't you?" she said while pacing in front of me. " I wanted you to break his heart like he did mine. Then I would have you commit suicide." She said cheerfully.

"I don't understand how you would make me do that." I lied, but I needed to bide time.

"Hmm, I thought that you did. I was pretty sure that Rory's _family_ told you." I held my breath hoping she would tell me anyway.

"Oh well." She said, I felt myself mentally relax a smidgen. "As I _know_ you know, some vampires have gifts. Well, my gift is to control people, I can make them do pretty much whatever I want." She gave me a dazzling smile, I was pretty sure that if I returned it I would throw up from repulsion of her twisted mind.

"I still don't get why you didn't just do that to me."

"Because…because I couldn't." she said. I knew that that irked her, she hated not being able to do things. "I don't know why. I guess it's because since I still sometimes think of you as my innocent best friend. I guess it's because were so connected." She sighed. "But don't think that I still like you."

"Fine, I won't" I said pooling my last bits of smart Alec remarks. "What do you plan on doing to me?"

"I'm not sure if I want your blood or if I should give it to Rory. Or maybe," she said getting a new idea. "Maybe we shouldn't bite you at all, maybe we should just torture you…

"Whatever we do, do though, I just want you to understand that it will **not** end up with you being changed." She said staring at me intensely, contemplating her decision.

"H-how were you changed?" I stuttered out of fear. It isn't exactly fun knowing that you are going to die with no chance of escape.

"Funny you asked." She smirked at me evilly.

"What's so funny about it?" I shot back.

"It's funny because it's your fault."

"How the hell is it my fault" I retorted.

"Because I did it to help you."

"What?!?" I didn't understand her reasoning at all.

"Your father!" she yelled at me. The room echoed with her voice.

"Have you gone mental?"

"No Cassie, I actually remember it quite well." She said bitterly. "It was at the Halloween fair, and I saw your dad. He looked frantic so I came up to him, splitting away from my friends. He said that you were in the forest hurt. I told him to lead me to him. We were winding deeper into the forest and I was getting antsy, so I questioned him. Then he turned on me. Lunged really, but I screamed. So instead of finishing me off him spat all of the blood from me onto the ground and carried me somewhere. I was in three days of agony after that. You don't eve understand. It's like lava or acid is coursing through your body. But then I woke up. I didn't know where I was or what had happened. But because I wasn't stupid I figured it out." She glared. "And to think all of that for _you_."

"I'm sorry." I said. It felt like my stomach had dropped out of my body as my guilt soared.

"Too bad sorry doesn't cut it." she said flatly. I could tell that she was growing tired of talking.

"Kirsten I really didn't mean to betray you. Please, don't do this." I was begging now.

"That's all right, I think I will do this. I'm not going to get caught."

She stepped into the sunlight that was spilling into the empty living room through the window.

It was like her skin had exploded into tiny diamonds that sparkled with such brilliance. I studied her face. The cast off shine made it appear that Kirsten had a halo of some sort, even though I knew that she was more likely the devil. Her skin was pale as ever, her features defined. Her looks rivaled any supermodels. Her eyes though brought me to attention and out of my mind. They were blue.

Bright glowing blue.

"Just so you can surely be miserable before you die." She said. Though I had no idea what she was talking about. I saw Rory walk past me. He pulled her into an embrace and they kissed. I felt a scowl appear on my face. Kirsten broke the embrace. "You have a ten second head start, oh but don't think of leaving the house because we will come get you, and it won't be fun…for you."

I didn't sit stupidly and ask what she meant like the idiots do, but I got up and dashed away.

I didn't go outside, because I knew that Kirsten wasn't kidding and that she would probably just kill me on the spot. I ran into a back room, that was most likely a bed room. I shut myself in the closet and stood pressed against the cool wall.

There was utter silence…

Except for my heart beat.

Shut up! I told it. It would surly give me away. Oh how poetic, that my heart gave me away. I was holding my breath hoping to soften its sound. But it only got louder.

I couldn't hear any footsteps, but I also knew that that didn't mean that they weren't walking around. They were just being quiet.

I quietly exhaled and inhaled a deep breath.

Thump thump, went my heart.

I felt a chill go down my spine.

Thump thump.

A floorboard creaked outside the closet. I made particular interest in being quiet.

Thump thump.

The door creaked open and I was met with Rory's glorious face.

I let out the loudest earsplitting scream that I could muster up. There might be a chance that some neighbor would hear and come.

"SHUT UP!" Rory yelled at me. I quickly clamped my mouth shut. I came down on the inside of my lower lip. I ignored the pain but cried. It wasn't like in the romantic or sad parts of movies where someone just has two tears silently slide down their face. I was full out sobbing. There was an irony taste in my mouth. I tilted my head down and cupped my hand under my mouth.

A small stream of blood trickled over my lip and into my cupped palm from when I bit my lip.

I looked up into Rory's eyes. I could feel the wet line of blood on my lower lip.

I knew that my death was imminent.


	13. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

I looked into Rory's eyes. I had no idea what to do but I knew that I wasn't just going to stand there and let myself die, that was just what Kirsten wanted.

Think Cassie, think. What can I do to render a vampire distracted? I knew that there wasn't a way that I could fight him. And I definitely didn't want to hurt him.

I could taste the blood saturating my mouth from the cut.

That was it! Blood. If I could get enough blood from my lip and put it in some type of glass, maybe he would become preoccupied by that and I would be able to escape.

The problem was that this was an empty house and I doubted that there was any type of cup here. But maybe…

"I need to go to the bathroom." I blurted out. He bared his teeth. "Look, Kirsten if you're in there which I know you are, just think of this as a last wish to use the bathroom." I said, using all of my years of acting to properly portray a person with a full bladder.

"Fine Cassie, just go." Rory said after a few minutes of contemplation. "But don't be stupid and try to escape. Remember I'm a thousand times faster than you and could catch you easily."

"I know." I answered monotonously, I had already accounted for this though.

He moved to the side of where I was cornered in the closet and let me pass. He followed close on my tail. I peeked in rooms to find the bathroom, and when I did I stepped in and closed the door. I was counting that Kirsten couldn't see what Rory's power could see what I was about to do.

I locked the bathroom door and looked at myself in the mirror. I took a deep breath to prepare myself for what I was about to do. I pushed down my bottom lip and looked at the thin line of a cut that was just barely oozing blood.

I lifted my finger and placed my fingernail on one side of the inside of my lip. I applied pressure until I saw and felt the skin break. I then ran my fingernail along the length of my lip until it was gushing blood. I was sure that I had never been in so much pain but didn't cry out in fear. I knew that this was my only chance.

I then closed my mouth and bit lightly on the unbroken skin as to push the blood out. I was starting to feel dizzy. I put in the stopper for the sink and then spit the mouthful of blood into the sink. I then did it again. There was a knock on the bathroom door.

"One second." I said.

I quickly walked to the bathtub. I got up on the edge of it and opened the window. I looked out, there was another knock. I looked up to make sure that the sun was still shining. It was. I pulled myself out the window and landed hard on the ground.

I took off running down the street but still heard the sound of the door being knocked down.

Now I could only hope that my plan would work. I stopped and turned around to face the house though I was still a good distance away. Nothing happened for a few minutes and I was hoping that the time was being taken to drink the blood in the sink.

My stomach did a flip at what I had just done. I had just (hopefully) escaped a vampire.

The door started to open from the house; I took a step back just in case I did need to run. I turned to look at the neighboring houses windows. I could see a few people sitting in their living rooms and I felt a bit safer.

Rory stood in the door way, I could faintly make out the rim of blood around his mouth. Kirsten stood behind him. They both stood back a bit from the door, to stay out of the incoming sunlight.

I knew that my plan had worked.

I had distracted Rory long enough with the blood to let me get out of the house, and when he had drank it, it made it impossible for him to go into the sunlight without exposing himself.

I took a step forward but felt woozy. I took another step forward and dropped to the ground unconscious. I guess I had lost a little too much blood.

My eyes fluttered open. Where was I?

"Cassie?" an older man's voice said. I turned my head to see who it was. It was a man clad in a white coat with blue scrubs under.

I looked down terrified. I took in the gurney, the white washed walls, and the immaculate room. I was in a hospital.

"Why am I here? What happened? Who are you?" the words came out of my mouth faster than I thought possible.

"Slow down" the man said holding up his hands. "I'm Dr. Cloverman; you're in the Marin county hospital. As for why you are here you passed out in the middle of a street. You were very lucky; you had passed out from loss of blood and some of your friends parents found you. We will need to talk to you about how you lost so much blood, but we can save that for later. Now I think that you have quite a few visitors."

Dr. Cloverman left the room and I sat in bed. Who had found me?

The door opened. My eyes widened and I sucked in a deep breath ready to scream as loud as I could.

Rory had just come in through the door.

I knew my eyes were wide, my expression must have hinted that I was about to scream, because he rushed over to me and clamped his hand over my mouth. I did scream and I struggled against his hold on me, but it didn't do anything. Suddenly in through the door walked the other Havens. I looked to them with panicked eyes for help but they merely laughed and closed the door.

"Relax Cassie, everything is fine. That is really Rory." Damien said.

I stopped struggling and Rory lifted his hand off of my mouth.

"How do I know?" I asked timidly.

"Why would we tell you that that was him if it wasn't?" Triston asked as if insulted.

I looked down embarrassed. "I don't know" I said. "What happened? Where's Kirsten?" I asked.

Some of them looked away not able to meet my eyes. But it was Jill who spoke up.

"Well, we had to get rid of her, Kirsten that is. You won't have to worry anymore. She is officially…dead." For some reason when she said this I didn't really care. I wasn't hurt that my best friend was dead or that it had been because of my new friends.

Maybe it was because she was supposed to have already been dead, but more likely it was that her attempt to kill me severed any liking of her that I had left. Yes, I thought, I would definitely bet it was the latter.

"Okay, what happened after I passed out?" I asked.

"You mean after your miraculous stunt that only you would think of." Elyse said. It made me happy that she had somewhat warmed up to me.

"Who knew that inside that head of yours there was actually a very smart brain?" Triston joked. I scowled at him but it hurt my bottom lip.

"Ouch." I said quietly.

"Well when you were with Jill and Triston had come back to the house for a bit, Kirsten let go of her hold on Rory. Instead of her using Rory she switched to get hold of Jill. She wanted to get you out of the hotel." Melanie was saying. "That gave Rory enough time to tell us exactly what was going on but then Kirsten took hold again and he left. Moments later we got a call from Jill saying what happened. We started searching for you. Finally one of us found your scent and followed you. We found you passed out in the middle of the street and rushed you here after leaving the kids to deal with Kirsten."

"I'm still somewhat confused." I said.

"About what?" Jill asked.

"A lot, but mainly with what I'm going to tell my mom and dad. It's not like I can tell them the truth."

The family exchanged looks, I hated not knowing things and I always seemed to be a step behind with them.

"Cassie, we think you and Rory need to talk about things, your mother is on her way and Rory needs to explain to you what you are going to tell her."

"Fine." I said nervously, it felt like it was a bad thing that I was going to have to say.

They al slowly filed out of the room. Leaving Rory and I there. I sat up and Rory sat on the gurney/bed next to me. "So what am I going to tell them?" I asked him.

He took my hand in his own icy one. I looked into his eyes which were a startling shade of blue. I hoped that my mother wouldn't notice and I wondered how long they would stay like that.

"As you were saying, we can't exactly say what really happened so we have a story." He started slowly, his golden hair disheveled in front of his eyes.

"And it is…?" I said getting antsy.

"We have decided that you should tell your mother and the doctors that you went to San Anselmo to get away because you were still grieving Kirsten, and that the cut on your lip was from you cutting." He finished quietly.

"WHAT?!?!" I said. "Hell no! There is no way that I am going to tell people that I was cutting because I was grieving Kirsten! Not only is that totally not something that I would do, but I don't want people thinking that I'm a cutter!" I said completely repulsed by the even idea.

"Unless you have a better idea." He said. I didn't so I kept my mouth shut. "Please." Rory said again. "For me and my family."

Great now I would have to.

"Fine." I whispered. He kissed my head and I felt my face go red hot. He smiled.

"I'd kiss your lips but it's a bit too much temptation, especially now that I've had a sample drink." He said

"Hah." I said sarcastically.

"So what else are you confused about?" he asked.

"Well, how come she only came after me and not my dad? Isn't he the one she was mad at for being changed?" I asked.

His forehead creased in thought.

"Cassie, your dad is a very powerful vampire. More powerful than you would probably expect. Do you remember when we told you about the Volturi?" I nodded slowly. "Well he works for them."

"Why?" I asked. I didn't see my dad as a person to work for people who were so horrible. "Wait, but what about his job as an archeologist?" I asked.

"It was completely fake." Rory answered.

"But…but that doesn't make any sense."

"Why?"

"Because I've met some of his colleagues." I said. Rory's eyes widened in fear. "What?" I asked.

"Can you explain what his colleagues looked like?"

"Err, one was really old. Slightly balding with white hair and skin that was nearly as pale. There was another named…Marcus, I think. He had dark hair. There were a few others who I didn't know though."

"Cassie, you've met the Volturi." He said quietly. My chest tightened.

"They didn't seem that bad." I said. They had been nice enough when I had met them.

"If they were why they were able to be around me?"

"They were able to be around you because we can control ourselves. It is very strange that you have met them though. They rarely come out to the public." He sighed. "I think your mother is coming. He got off the bed and walked out of the room moments before my mother and the doctor came in.

"Oh Cassandra!" my mother called. As she rushed over and hugged me.

"Hi mom." I said as nicely as I could.

"I was so worried. You don't even know. Getting the call that my baby wasn't at school. And then you didn't come home!"

"Mrs. Sunnel, please sit down I need to talk to your daughter. You may stay but I do need to talk with her." Dr. Cloverman said. This was it, I thought, this is where I would lose all respect from my mother and anyone who knew me.

"Cassie can you tell me what happened and why you lost so much blood?"

"Yes." I said.

"Go on." He told me. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes; I couldn't bear to look at them.

"Since Kirsten died I have been having some trouble dealing. I just couldn't bear to be at school so I left I took the bus down to san Anselmo and was there for a while. That was when I cut for the first time." I heard an intake of breath from my mother and the doctor. "I cut the inside of my lip a few more times in the next two days and I was walking around the other day and I guess I just passed out from blood loss."

"Hmm." The doctor said writing something on a clipboard. "Mrs. Sunnel if you could please come with me, it seems that we have some things to discuss."

"Oh, umm yes." She said standing shakily. They walked out. I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes. I couldn't take it back, it was already done.

Rory slipped back in the door.

"Thank you" he whispered hugging me softly. His body next to mine felt good.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked.

"I think they might put you in a rehab program for three days or so. They'll probably monitor your behavior, seeing as you don't really cut that should be easy." He said.

"How's my mom?" I asked hoping he could use his power to find the answer.

"She's just confused; she thought that you were dealing fine."

"Oh" I said. "Will everybody at school know?"

"Probably not, though your teachers and counselor might."

"Umm, Rory?" I asked.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I have another question."

"You seem to have plenty, don't you?" I smiled to him at his remark.

"You know how I've been having these dreams. Well some of them have been coming true. Like with the Kirsten dream. And the other day I had a dream of when Kirsten came to the library; except she wasn't there it was just me looking stupid and scared. But I know that it was right after Kirsten came. Why do you think that I am having these dreams?" I asked. He looked as if he was about to answer but the doctor and my mother came back into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Dr. Cloverman asked. "Who are you?"

"Sorry Dr. Cloverman," I said "he is my boyfriend."

"Hmm." He said eyeing us skeptically. "Well we are going to need you to leave." He directed his talking towards Rory. Rory turned to me and whispered in my ear.

"I love you." He said quietly so that the others couldn't hear. Then he walked out the door. I loved his words but they had registered something else in my brain that made me feel worried.

"Cassie," the doctor began. "Your mother and I have decided to put you in a clinic for other people who have your…problem."

"Alright." I said calmly because I had already been told that this was going to happen.

"I'm going home to pack a bag of clothes for you, your going to be there for a couple days." She said.

"Fine." She kissed my cheek and walked out the door. I turned toward Dr. Cloverman. "What am I going to be doing at the clinic?"

"You'll have your meals and you will have workshops. I believe that they have groups that you will meet with a few times a day."

"That's all?" that was all I would do for the next three days?

"I'm not sure." He said looking at his clipboard and walking out but then he poked his head back in, "you have some more visitors coming in."

The Havens walked back in. I smiled to all of them against the pain of my lip.

They didn't answer my question about my dreams though. But I was okay with just talking. Before they left though they all came up to me in turn.

"You're such a strong girl and Rory is lucky to have you." Damien told me.

"Because of you I will never let the fridge go un-stocked." Melanie told me.

"I'm sorry that I ever told you to leave us alone. I guess I'm selfish because I do not want you to leave." Elyse told me.

"I promise that I will never be such a bitch again unless I'm being controlled."

"Jill!" Melanie said warningly.

"What I'm 68 I think I should be allowed to swear." Jill retorted, and then moved aside for Triston.

"I lost my other little sister, don't think I'm going to lose you." He said. His words brought tears to my eyes, he thought of me as his little sister. He moved aside and Rory stepped up to me.

"I love you" he told me.

"I love you more." I told him we both smiled. And he and his family walked out.

I sat with my head resting against the pillow.

Rory had said he loved me, but it's easy to lie.


	14. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

It had been a long time since I was in the rehab clinic. I was sitting at our end of the year assembly during school.

The principle was speaking.

My life had changed a lot this school year. Rory and I were still together…

We hadn't had much happen since November.

Teachers still looked at me strangely in the halls and I was sure that they knew about my stint in the clinic. I thought that it was worth it though. I would never betray the Havens. Whenever I brought up the issue of my dreams Rory would skirt around it to another topic.

I loved him so much.

People were starting to chant the count down until school ended.

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

But did he really love me?

1

The bell rang loudly and a resounding cheer rose up from the sea of students.

I got my books together and pulled my bag over my shoulder. Everyone was talking to each other and pushing, talking about summer plans. I wished I had some definite ones.

I walked out the door of my classroom and looked around wondering where Rory was, he usually met me here. But then I was grabbed from behind. I let out a giggle and turned to face Rory. I beamed to him. His glorious divine face was the light to my day. He picked me up and kissed me on the lips, I blushed because people were starting to stare. Some whistled from our small crowd.

Rory put me back down and we walked out to the parking lot. He had driven his car today and it was being admired. We walked to it together, he had been driving me now and refused to let me ride the bus anymore.

We drove home and I dropped off my stuff. I told my mom that we were going for a walk.

We walked down to the park next to the forest where the stream was. That was where we had been when I first realized that he didn't have a heartbeat.

When we got there I sat on a swing and he stood in front of me. He bent down and kissed my forehead.

"I love you" he said.

"Do you really?" I muttered under my breath. Then I looked up to him wide eyed, I hadn't meant that to come out, out loud.

"What?! Of course I do." He said appalled. "Where did you even get that idea?" he asked. Maybe now was as good a time as any.

"Well," I started. I was about to tell him the number one thing that had been gnawing at me since that fateful day in November. "Will you change me?" I asked, this would be my deciding factor.

"no." he said easily.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because what?" I said raising my voice.

"Because I don't want to." He said.

"You don't want to be with me forever?" I asked seriously hurt.

"No, that wasn't what I meant. I don't want you to have to have this life, really Cassie it sucks." He said trying to relieve some of the tension by making it humorous.

"Well, it is what I want and I don't care, so what is your answer?"

"no." he retorted.

"See you don't really love me!" I nearly shouted.

"I do!" he said.

"Then I don't get it!" I yelled to him "if you love me why won't you change me? Do you even really know what love is?" he was about to talk but I wasn't going to have that. " Love is when you want to be with someone forever. Love is when you feel like nothing with out the other. Love is when you would die for the other person. Rory, I would die for you."

"I'm sorry but I'm not going to change you he said resolutely, but I do love you."

"No… you don't"

"What even got you started on this?" he asked. This was what I was ashamed of.

"When Kirsten was controlling you, you asked me if I loved you, and I said yes, you asked me if I trusted you, and I said yes, then you asked me if I wanted to be with you forever, and I said yes. And then you said that you wanted to change me."

"But you said no then." He said.

"But that was because I knew it wasn't you!"

"Cassie, I love you." He said to me. "And that is why I don't want to change you. I mean if I changed you wouldn't be able to have kids, or get old, or eat normal food. You would be deprived of everything else you love." He told me.

"It would be worth it." I said resolutely.

"No it wouldn't."

"How would you know." I said standing up off the swing and causing him to take a step back.

"Because I wish I was still human." He said.

"If you really loved me you would want to be with me forever and your love would make you forget about all of that other stuff." I said quietly. "Too bad you don't" I said taking a step back.

"Cassie?" he said confused.

"I would rather start getting over this failed relationship now, I' mean, I now it's going to take a long time. I might not ever get over it." I said taking another step back. "So I think since this isn't going anywhere we should just stop." I said my voice cracking and the tears starting. "Just so you know though, I will always love you." I said taking another step back. "Goodbye" I said turning around.

I started to walk away but heard his plea.

"Please don't" he said, and I broke into a sprint back home. I knew that if he wanted he could catch me, but he didn't.


	15. BIG UPDATE!

**I'm making another sequel to 'Say You Love Me', it is based off of the alternate epilogue that is being added!**

**the story will be called 'Hourglass'!**

**Please check it out, and i hope you like it!!**

**-Mel (alwayssmile877)**


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